When a Woman Cheats
by Petros24
Summary: Chi Chi cheats on Goku after extended periods of lack of attention, as well as an inability of Bulma and her sons to help make up the difference. Can Goku forgive her? Can their relationship be restored to the marital bliss they once shared? Rated M for later lemon, drugs, sex references, alcohol and otherwise strong language. The idea for this belongs to Charismatic Beauty.
1. A Gala of Deceit

Disclaimer:

I do not own or profit from any Dragonball Z content or characters. The same applies to any popular songs referenced in the story, any publications, or other cultural references. Any original characters not in the Dragonball Z universe are named at random, and not intended to mirror any living or dead individual.

The plot idea for this story belongs to Charismatic Beauty.

This is chapter 1 of a multi-chapter story.

 **Chapter 1: A Gala of Deceit**

Two weeks before Christmas. The air was cold and West City had been enduring snow for a few weeks now. But this time held greater significance to the socialites of the metropolis. It was the evening of Bulma Briefs's Christmas masquerade ball. The event had been running for several years now. Anyone who was anyone attended. The mayor, the state senators, local congressmen, business and labor leaders, and professional athletes could be found.

Bulma never really liked these, she thought as she stared at her aged reflection while getting ready. Sure, she could feign a bubbly and 'naughty' girl personality if needed; but that was her public persona. Now she had to keep it up for a whole night in front of scum bags who either wanted her money, influence, or what was under her clothes. Thankfully, she always invited her real friends as well to make the evening more tolerable. Why she held this event is something she often forgot, but she remembered her father's discussion about these gatherings being necessary for continuing to spread the company's now global reputation and brand as a technology powerhouse.

She continued to analyze her visage and hair in the mirror as she mindlessly put on her dress. She had crow's feet at her eyes and her hair was almost a fifth gray. She stopped years ago even trying to dye it. Especially after Bulla was born, she just didn't care anymore. In a way she didn't even care if Vegeta found her attractive anymore-even though his actions suggested he was. At the very least her body appeared to be in good shape; but what was happening inside her body was a mystery. She didn't have time to exercise anymore. And the cost of taking what her father created and building an empire from it showed its costs in her features.

It also showed in her behavior. Only a month ago Vegeta found some white powder hidden in her dresser drawers. Not knowing what it was, Bulma blustered in telling him it was sugar. Since this sounded ridiculous, Vegeta could tell she was lying in a heartbeat. So he asked his now sixteen year old son what the substance was, after which he was informed that it was cocaine. Never mind how Trunks knew what it was, Vegeta was now incredibly worried about what Bulma's work was doing to her. He noticed the woman had been increasingly stressed and under pressure. She was almost always 'not in the mood' and was generally fatigued. Outside of pressing her on it and making her break down in tears, Vegeta referenced his years of being around Bulma and decided to tell Bulma's semi-retired father, who could certainly talk about this to her more level-headed than he could.

Bulma remembering that conversation with her father caused her to stop in mid-motion as she finished dressing. She then remembered how…tender Vegeta was about it. He usually would flip out about her tobacco use or drinking, which is how he expressed concern. This time was different, meaning he understood how serious it was. But how could anyone think she could maintain her lifestyle of sleeping as much as a full-blooded Saiyan (ie, not much) and firing on all cylinders every day…who knows? Eventually, she was going to resort to drastic measures.

Bulma received a text from one of her assistants reading "show time." She had to get this out of her mind and wrap up her make-up application to hide the dark circles under her eyes so she could go greet her guests as they filed in. Lastly, she applied the domino mask she'd wear for the evening considering that it was a masquerade ball. Not that anyone would be fooled.

Entering the downstairs of the complex, Bulma saw all the blood suckers and sycophants in her house and place of business. She passed a member of West City's pro ball team, the one Yamcha used to play for, who was not even trying to hide his staring at her cleavage. The mayor was more classy and offered a seemingly sincere, "Good evening, Mrs. Briefs." She then ran into her son, who said some of her actual friends had arrived.

Bulma ran to the door to greet Goku, Chi Chi, Goten, Gohan, and Videl. "Hey guys!" she exclaimed with a great deal of enthusiasm.

"Hi Bulma!" Goten greeted in his usual chipper attitude.

Bulma couldn't help but notice that Goku was dressed as Superman. Granted, it was a masquerade ball; but he was wearing a Halloween costume.

"What's with the get-up Goku?"

"The boys thought it would be a good costume for him," Chi Chi explained with an aloof attitude.

"Defender of Truth, Justice, and the American Way then," Bulma commented while chuckling.

"When he actually says things like that on the battlefield, it sounds pretty inspiring," Gohan duly noted his respect for his father.

Chi Chi maintained her unwavering stare toward nothingness. She couldn't blame her sons for admiring and looking up to him. Goku was after all a good father.

"Hey Bulma, do you know where Vegeta is?"

"Haven't a clue, Goku. But can't you like…you know, sense him or something?"

"Oh yea. Hmmm. Got 'em," Goku then Instant Transmissioned to where Vegeta was, presumably in the gravity room.

"How predictable," Chi Chi commented cynically.

"What's also predictable is that Vegeta will have a field day with that consume," Bulma added.

As that happened an instrumental version of Rick James's "Super Freak" started playing over the dance floor.

Videl's eyes opened wide. "Come on, Gohan. We haven't danced since this thing last year!"

Gohan had visible discomfort on his face. It took Chi Chi's persuasion for him to even dance on his and Videl's wedding day.

Chi Chi leant over to Gohan's ear and whispered, " _Go on Gohan. It will only be for a short time. You don't want to have a relationship with your wife like the one your father has. Besides, everyone is staring at Bulma, not you."_

Gohan stared at his mother, never hearing her make such a remark about his father. It was definitely something he would have to evaluate further; but for now he put it in the back of his mind and explained to his mother, "Well, I don't want to leave you alone mom," showing the protectiveness of his mother he developed while his father was 'dead' for seven years.

"AHHH, HELLLLOOO! I'm right here," Bulma made her presence known.

"I'll be fine Gohan," Chi Chi reassured.

"Let's go before the music stops!" Videl exclaimed while grabbing Gohan's hand to toward the dance floor.

"He looks exhausted Chi Chi," Bulma noted the wear and tear on Gohan's face.

"I know. It's amazing his still standing. I couldn't imagine what he would be like right now if he weren't half-Saiyan. A human couldn't keep his schedule."

Gohan been up and coming the ranks of academia at West City University. Between teaching, researching, and mingling he practically lived at the institution and rarely slept. Due to constantly being in a public place, it was almost impossible for him to eat the way a Saiyan needs to eat. He had lost weight as he was somehow managing to support his partially alien metabolism on a caloric level that would support a top human like Krillin.

"Hmmm…" Bulma contemplated out loud.

"So if Goku is Superman, then why aren't you dressed as _Lois Lane_?" Bulma asked Chi Chi seductively, clearly trying to change the subject.

"Well then I wouldn't be wearing a mask now would I? This is a masquerade ball after all. I'm here as Chi Chi, loyal wife of the world's greatest hero."

Naturally, it didn't take a lot of processing for Bulma to pick up on what Chi Chi was saying.

After some awkward silence, Chi Chi took her turn.

"You don't look the best yourself Bulma."

Bulma let out a loud sigh, "I can't remember the last time I felt the best Chi."

"We're not solving these problems tonight, let's grab something," Chi Chi finally suggested after pause in conversation.

The two made their way over the open bar where the bartender greeted, "Hello Mrs. Briefs. Good evening Ms.," he greeted Chi Chi with the latter.

Bulma made haste in putting her social mask on, "What's up Jordan?! Straight vodka martini with a twist. You know the drill big guy!"

The bartender grinned as he looked down at his work in response to Bulma's remarks. He did indeed know the drill with Bulma. He had worked several parties at Capsule Corp, and naturally the compensation was always great. As he was working, he directed his eyes to Chi Chi and asked what she wanted, "For you, Ms."

"Umm, what's the highest proof item you have?" Chi Chi asked with Bulma's mouth gaping.

"Well we have 100 proof vodka, and 120 proof scotch."

"The scotch will do. Four shots please, on ice."

"Ms. I can't go over a double."

"Are you crazy Chi Chi?! You'll be tipped over in five minutes!" Bulma exclaimed.

"Bulma, do you remember the moonshine my father made that you tried? That's what I'm used to. I'll be fine."

Bulma grinned remembering the incident Chi Chi was explaining.

"It's fine Jordan, she's my friend," Bulma allowed the bartender to supersede his contractual limit when serving.

The bartender's eyes opened wide as he thought about what a mess this could create. Anyway, he was not to be held responsible for intoxicated mishaps, per his contract.

As he finished and handed the beverages to the two, Bulma motioned for them to head outside to talk to each other in private.

They both stopped out on the patio into the frozen air. Neither had a coat; but Chi Chi seemed unfazed by the weather as she took a gulp of her steamy cauldron. She blew a gust of her own breath to see it crystallize in the cold air.

Despite her own discomfort, Bulma roughed out the temperature. She knew what was on Chi Chi's mind.

"Do you mind if I light up?"

"Don't care. Just don't bring out the white powder," Chi Chi stated with a vindictive look at her friend for her previous misbehavior.

"We'll talk about that another time Chi Chi."

They had been best friends for years now, and it didn't take a lot for Bulma to read her fellow Earthling-Saiyan mother. Despite this, she decided to keep things on the lighter side.

"I have to say, you really look stunning Chi Chi. You're not fibbing to me when you say you don't color your hair? Not to mention that your face and figure both look fantastic! Honestly, I'm jealous."

"Well keep in mind I am a few years younger Bulma."

"Hey, I'm not the one who's a grandmother doll," Bulma rebuttled.

"I guess so," Chi Chi replied in a somber tone.

Chi Chi's tone and mood indicated to Bulma that she had to make more serious conversation for the sake of her friend.

"So things are still like that huh?" Bulma asked her friend.

"No difference from before," Chi Chi confirmed.

"Care to elaborate?"

"It's like I told you. After Majin Buu was defeated, Goku was the ideal father…which he still is in a way. He was also the ideal husband. He paid more attention to me and spent more time with me than he had since his brother landed on this planet and started a radical chain of events. But with time, I suppose he slipped into old routines. His training was the first priority he had. I never spoke to him or saw him outside of the morning and night. And then even sometimes in the morning he started leaving the house without breakfast. Think about that. Goku SKIPPING a meal! We rarely talk anymore-only if it relates to Goten or how things are going with Gohan and Videl. We haven't been intimate in over a year Bulma! Even on our birthdays and Valentine's Day. It's mind-boggling."

"And you haven't addressed this with him?" Bulma inquired.

"No. It seems to be pointless. We're so distant from each other now. Our only bond is that we live together, sleep in the same bed-except for when he falls asleep on the couch, and our sons. There's nothing there. No spark. I can't help but think we were a mismatch all along."

Bulma had her usual pensive look with her lips cocked to one side of her face. She really didn't know what to say. She understood Goku wasn't always the most considerate husband; but this was taking things to a different level.

"Bulma, how do you and Vegeta get along? I realize he and Goku are remarkably different; but they both still have the same priorities with their training, and the same instincts with fighting," Chi Chi asked her trusted confidante.

"Well, as you know we didn't in the beginning. But after the fiasco with the androids and Cell, things changed a lot. I suppose similar to you and Goku we don't really see each other outside of the morning and night; but that's when we speak to each other about matters regarding our children, our relationship, and other trivial matters if there's nothing else important. Of course, I see him a lot more in the morning now since I wake up when he does because of my fucking work schedule. So I guess we just work. I'm not really sure how to explain it," Bulma elaborated.

"You don't mind that he skips events like this?" Chi Chi asked.

"No. Frankly, I don't like them myself. He made it clear to me he didn't want to be a part of them, and I was willing to concede that since I don't place a high priority on them. Besides, even if he doesn't attend, I'm pretty sure he's always watching to make sure that some random guy doesn't touch me inappropriately."

Chi Chi thought introspectively that it seemed somehow the Dark Prince was actually a better mate than sweet and innocent Goku.

Sensing her discomfort, Bulma provided a hug to her friend. Chi Chi couldn't fully control her emotions, and some light tears worked their way from her eyes.

After a few seconds, Bulma worked to shift the mood.

"As I said, it's freaking freezing! Let's head back in."

The two headed back inside. Upon re-entry, some man grabbed Bulma's hand to dance. She grinned and shrugged her shoulders at Chi Chi, conveying the message 'Unfortunately, this comes with my line of work.'

Chi Chi found herself, albeit looking gorgeous, alone now standing on the outskirts of the dance floor. No Bulma, no Gohan, and certainly no Goku. She always prided her value in life as a good mother and devoted wife. None of that mattered as she looked at the remainders of her drink and finished it-alone.

 _To Be Continued_


	2. Genius Costume

Disclaimer:

I do not own or profit from any Dragonball Z content or characters. The same applies to any popular songs referenced in the story, any publications, movies, or other cultural references. Any original characters not in the Dragonball Z universe are named at random, and not intended to mirror any living or dead individual.

The plot idea for this story belongs to Charismatic Beauty.

Thank you for the encouraging reviews thus far.

 **Chapter 2: Genius Costume**

Chi Chi leaned against the wall as she took fairly large sips to finish her drink. Even though she was in no danger, she felt very vulnerable. She did sometimes have issues with social anxiety at parties like this one, as if everyone was looking at her and noting that the weird brunette chick wasn't engaging any other people. Of course, she remembered what she told Gohan, that Bulma was the center of this gathering. Logically, it was obvious no one even noticed her where she was.

With no one to go to, she took a definitive gulp of her drink. As she did, the corner of her eye made contact with the bartender Jordan, who offered a quick smile and promptly returned to his work. As Chi Chi consumed the remaining scotch, she moved to place her glass down on one of the tables.

Goten and Trunks were basically playing a giant football game throughout the entire compound, including within the party. Chi Chi was about to raise her voice; but she simply didn't have the wherewithal to scold her son for acting like he was seven years younger than he actually was. She realized Bulma was right about the quantity of her beverage. Chi Chi had a strong buzz, which surprised her. But then again she hadn't consumed alcohol in a while. As she thought about trying to focus on her surroundings despite the mental blur, she _felt_ a familiar voice whisper in her ear and a hand grabbed her shoulder.

" _Genius costume. Let me guess, middle-aged yet attractive devoted mother and wife._ "

Now feeling in actual danger, Chi Chi grabbed the hand, twisted the person's arm, and kicked their rib cage. She then almost resumed a fighting stance after realizing she was hitting 18. Luckily it was 18 and not someone she could actually hurt.

"Whoa, relax hot-rod," 18 stated amused while lowering her Mardi Gras style eye mask. Krillin was chuckling rather loudly at the proceedings. Besides, he hadn't seen Chi Chi fight in a while so it was a bit of a blast from the past.

"Yea, it's hilarious Krillin. Since both of us could kick your ass, get lost for now," 18 asserted dominance over her spouse. She kind of wanted to get rid of Krillin for a bit anyway. Bulma wasn't the only one in the loop about Chi Chi's emotional struggles.

Krillin grumbled a bit since he was pretty sure he could take Chi Chi. Not that he ever would.

"Hey Chi Chi, do you know where Goku is?" Krillin asked, hitting the sore spot of the decade.

Almost ready to lash out at Krillin, Chi Chi stopped herself realizing he had no idea what was going on between them. She worked herself up to reply courteously.

"I don't Krillin. He's off playing Tonka trucks with Vegeta somewhere," she finally managed to state.

Krillin chuckled at Chi Chi's sort-of-joke and walked away since he was genuinely afraid of his spouse.

"Tonka trucks? I thought even Goten was too old for those," 18 questioned not understanding the metaphor.

"It's an expression Bulma and I have for whenever Goku and Vegeta are together. They may as well be boys playing with toy trucks," Chi Chi explained.

The humor yielded a mild grin from 18's typically stoic face.

"When you grabbed my hand, I noticed you aren't wearing your wedding ring," 18 observed.

Chi Chi looked at her left hand.

"Oh, I must've forgotten to put it back on. I removed it while I was dressing earlier," Chi Chi nervously explained.

"Freudian slip? Kind of takes away from your costume tonight doesn't it?" 18 asked with an eyebrow raised.

Chi Chi closed her eyes and didn't respond.

"So drinking in the corner by ourselves…" 18 noted in her usual deadpan tone.

"Yea, I guess that's what happens," Chi Chi said with her eyes welling up again.

"I really hope you don't cry, I don't do well with that," 18 stated sincerely.

"I'm not going to in front of so many people. I'm under control," Chi Chi assured.

"You're a strong woman Chi Chi. And I don't know if anyone's mentioned this to you, but you look drop dead beautiful tonight."

"Yes, Bulma told me and Videl also before we came…thank you 18."

"Well we're not just pumping your tires-looks like you have a suitor."

"What?"

18 pointed her finger behind Chi Chi at a man who was standing there in an eye mask with a model of the Roman Coliseum on top. The whole accoutrement covered the top half of his face.

"I'm sorry to interrupt; but would you care to dance Ms.?"

Chi Chi looked at 18 confused.

"Yes, he's asking you Chi Chi," 18 felt compelled to state the obvious.

"Uh, mmm, I mean…okay," Chi Chi finally was able to mutter out quietly while developing a notable blush on her face.

Chi Chi gave the man her hand and placed her other hand on his shoulder as the party's intensity went down a few levels with "Fly Me to the Moon" playing. Chi Chi looked down while moving, embarrassed to look the man in the face even though it was covered by a mask. She couldn't help but feel like she was betraying Goku by doing this. Then again, Bulma had probably already danced with ten men and a lot of them likely tried touching her in other areas besides her hand and shoulder.

Still uncomfortable, Chi Chi proceeded and managed to pick up her head. She still couldn't look at the man, but looked over his shoulder and noticed Gohan and Videl dancing closely across the floor. Gohan still looked like hell but he had a small smile of content on his face, as did Videl while her head was nestled in his chest. She thought about her failure as a mother in never being able to provide Gohan with inner peace. He was always so nervous and unsure of himself. And for a while she did not help the situation. The only times he shed those traits when he was younger was when he was fighting and was backed into a corner. She took some solace in the fact that even though she may not have been able to do it, at least Videl could. Besides herself, she wouldn't want any other woman having that ability to influence her son.

While lost in thought, Chi Chi's counterpart started to feel very awkward, and tried to go with the only thing everyone here had in common.

"You must be one of Bulma's closer friends."

Chi Chi snapped out of her gaze toward Gohan and Videl and for the first time looked the man in the face.

"Um, yes. Bulma and I are close friends. How could you tell?"

"You're not wearing any mask or costume. Usually her personal circle of friends is more likely to attend these things without them."

"Oh, right." Chi Chi responded absent mindedly while returning her stare at the floor.

" _Joke's on you…whoever you are. I am wearing a mask_ ," her inner dialogue ran.

"Have a few too many," the man chuckled, trying desperately to make this less awkward with some humor. He noticed the red flush on Chi Chi's face and how she had a minor slur in her speech. He thought Chi Chi might not be talking due to excessive alcohol intake. At this point he was mentally cursing Frank Sinatra for continuing on and on in the song that was playing. He saw her across the room and she was absolutely stunning. He was really hoping to get a chance to talk to her. But now, he wanted this to end.

Chi Chi also felt very awkward with the man; but for different reasons-namely that he wasn't Goku, her father, or one of her sons. With that, she started to feel bad for the man. At a baseline, she wasn't just being shy. She was borderline rude. Despite her state of mind, she had to at least be polite regardless of her discomfort.

"Well kind of," Chi Chi finally replied with a light grin.

"I based what I had off what my tolerance was a little while ago. So I'm slightly off because of that," Chi Chi was able to explain while maintaining a grin.

"So how do you know Bulma then?"

The man was relieved that she was finally making some conversation.

"Well I own a bakery in the city here. We supply Capsule Corp with bread and some baked goods. Bulma and I have done business for years together. Her father did business with mine; so I get invited to these things. Though considering how VIP the crowd is I'm kind of a fish out of water."

"Wow. Your bakery must have a lot of capacity to supply Capsule Corp. And you're not the only one who feels out of place here. I always do and I think most of Bulma's other personal friends do as well."

"Right. She likes to be inclusive but I feel like sometimes it leads to oddly mixed company considering she goes with so many different crowds. But yea we're not her only supplier; though certainly her main one. Our bakery has been around for years. My grandfather started it back when West City was just a sleepy regional population center. So there's been time for growth to supply say, Capsule Corp."

"Hmm, I don't live in the city but I do most of my shopping here. What's your bakery called? If it's that big I must have heard of it or seen it?"

"Giuseppe's is the name of the place. That was my grandfather's name."

"Ohhh, yea I've seen the place. I've never gone in because it seems too big. And you guys are always mobbed with people."

"Yea, we keep busy," the man said with a chuckle.

Just as the two were making some significant dialogue, the song ended. To her surprise, Chi Chi would have been comfortable at that point had it continued. Either way, she decided that was enough and parted ways with the masked baker.

"Thank you. You are very kind," Chi Chi expressed her gratitude.

"Nice to meet you," the man replied keeping his eyes on her as he turned his head and body in the opposite direction

" _Strange woman_ ," the man thought to himself.

Chi Chi removed herself from the floor to get out of everyone's way and grinned while blowing air out of her nose trying to determine exactly what just happened.

" _Why did he have the Coliseum on his head? That's an odd pick for a mask and costume. I can't believe how reserved I was_. _I hope he wasn't too put off by it._ " Chi Chi thought to herself.

Meanwhile, Gohan was watching his mother from across the room as he continued to dance with Videl.

 _To Be Continued_


	3. Parental Duties

Disclaimer:

I do not own or profit from any Dragonball Z content or characters. The same applies to any popular songs referenced in the story, any publications, movies, or other cultural references. Any original characters not in the Dragonball Z universe are named at random, and not intended to mirror any living or dead individual.

The plot idea for this story belongs to Charismatic Beauty.

 **Chapter 3: Parental Duties**

A/N: This chapter may seem like a digression from the main plotline; but it is here for a reason.

Chi Chi moved away to walk outside and get away from everyone. She wanted to reintroduce herself to the crisp air to cool both her body and mind. She couldn't understand why she kept thinking about the man with whom she danced. Perhaps because she had only danced with Goku, Gohan (at his wedding), and her father (at her wedding) before. Something about it felt wrong. But the man seemed eccentric, if not interesting. He appeared very polite and gentlemen like. She pondered maybe asking Bulma who he was. Of course, she didn't really have male friends; so Bulma would make a big deal out of it. But at least based on their limited interaction, he definitely seemed like someone she would get along with well.

Her thoughts in solitude were interrupted by Bulma herself, who barged outside to join her and certainly was no longer sober.

"I saw that whole thing!" Bulma jubilantly proclaimed while pulling out a cigarette.

"Big Chi gettin' a little action on the side. I'm tellin' you girl you just gotta let that lovely body and brunette hair do your talking. And it does more talking when you let that hair down-like the way it is now. You could be on the cover of _Cosmo_."

Chi Chi was now relatively sober and Bulma had jumped to a new category of insanity due to her inebriation. Granted she had the personality for this behavior; but Bulma never spoke to her like that. She sounded like a combination of a stereotypical frat boy and sorority girl one would see in movies.

"You know I don't read _Cosmo_ , Bulma. And even I'm not traditional enough to consider formal dancing as 'action.'"

Of course, Chi Chi was dishonest with herself. She did consider that 'action,' even though almost every other woman her age in the modern world would think otherwise. She was still conflicted about it, as if she cheated on Goku by dancing with a stranger.

Chi Chi looked into Bulma's eyes. It was evident she was inebriated but her eyes told Chi Chi she was on something else.

"Bulma?! You used it on the sly didn't you? I can see it in your eyes!" Chi Chi yelled out of concern for her friend.

The start of Chi Chi's reprimand was interrupted by a force not nearly as welcoming as Bulma's.

Vegeta walked outside holding both Trunks and Goten by the backs of their shirts.

"Do what you will with your brat. I assume you handle the discipline in your family," Vegeta seriously remarked while looking at Chi Chi and tossing Goten to the ground in front of her.

"What's wrong baby?" Bulma asked Vegeta, with obvious impairment.

"You're the last one to talk right now Woman!" Vegeta shot back.

"You are the one who has set a terrible example for the boy!' he continued.

"The boy and Kakarot's spawn got their hands on alcohol and the crap you've been using recently and were using them to have _fun_ with girls they know from school in the boy's room," Vegeta stated as he turned back toward Chi.

"GOTEN! Is this true?" Chi Chi commanded her son to confirm.

"Yes, mom," he replied.

"I should also add your brat was engaging in intercourse with one of the girls. I don't know how far it went, but I recommend you ask for details and potentially follow-up with the girl's parents if necessary," Vegeta followed.

Chi Chi looked down at her son with her mouth agape. She was in serious shock. Given how Gohan was as a teenager, she never dealt with this kind of misbehavior.

Chi Chi and Vegeta never really got along. She still viewed him as a blood thirsty murderer, mainly because he had tried to kill Goku twice and based on Goku's accounts screwed Goku when fighting Frieza's top henchman. Vegeta always viewed Chi Chi as overbearing, constantly trying to make Goku into an Earthling and keeping her oldest son from fully training despite having the most potential for power of any of the Saiyans. Despite this, Chi Chi managed to look Vegeta in the eye and replied.

"I will take it from here with Goten, Vegeta."

"Very well," Vegeta replied as he continued to grab Trunks and walked away with him.

Bulma stuck her head back inside and yelled to Vegeta, "Please don't…kill him Vegeta."

"At this point, death would be too easy an escape for the boy, Woman," Vegeta replied to Bulma, still angry at her.

Chi Chi followed Bulma and asked Vegeta, "Where's Goku?"

"Kakarot is right there…"

"Hey Babe!" Goku popped from the shadows.

"Where were you during all this?!" Chi Chi asked her husband.

"Well Vegeta was getting boring since he was just monitoring Bulma in the party area on a closed circuit camera. So I went to hang out with Krillin. Then I sensed a disturbance in Vegeta's energy, and then yours. So here I am," Goku tried explaining.

"Anyway, we're going Goku," Chi Chi declaratively stated while grabbing Goten the way Vegeta was.

"Tell Gohan and Videl were leaving," She commanded her husband.

"Um, okay."

Goku just telepathically communicated with his son, " _Hey Gohan, your brother, mother, and I are leaving. See you back in the mountain region."_

Gohan didn't respond, but Goku just assumed that was because he and Videl were very focused on each other as they were making out on the dance floor. Goku chuckled to himself and used Instant Transmission to bring Chi Chi and Goten back to their home.

***Back on Mount Paotz***

"Goten! To your room! NOW! AND DON'T COME OUT UNTIL I SAY SO!" Chi Chi yelled at her son, not knowing how to react any other way.

"Fuck! I need a drink," she continued.

"What happened Chi?" Goku asked.

"Trunks and Goten were having a bit of a party with women involving alcohol and blow and according to Vegeta, Goten was in the midst of having sex with one of the girls," Chi Chi quickly summarized.

Goku stared at Chi Chi with wide eyes, not knowing what to do or say.

"Look, Chi…I know I wasn't around for most of Gohan's adolescence; but what did you do about things like this with him?"

"Goku, Gohan never had these problems! There's no precedent for it. Gohan studies, went to public school, met Videl, started dating her, and then married her. Once their relationship was stable I had nothing left to do as a mother," Chi Chi explained to her oft 'dead' husband.

"Well, I feel like Gohan was an anomaly honey. He was always well behaved and always did exactly the right thing," Goku stated with a surprising amount of insight.

"Maybe, but I was also very strict with him. I felt like that was a mistake so I was different with Goten. But I wonder if I reacted too far in the opposite way. Teaching Goten to fight instead of prioritizing his studies, sending him to public school in the city instead of home schooling him for most of the time…I don't know right now Goku. Maybe you should go talk to your son. At this moment I would kill him if I saw him. I don't care if he's a Super Saiyan!"

Goku agreed with his wife and decided to move up the stairs toward Goten's room. In the background, he could hear his wife continuing her rampage.

"MOTHER FUCK! I REALLY need a drink!" Chi Chi yelled again from downstairs.

Goku knocked on his son's door. There was no answer; so Goku decided to enter.

"Son, it's me," Goku gently greeted.

"Thank God. I thought you were Mom. I was bracing for the beating of my life."

Goku thought about the irony considering that he was arguably the strongest fighter in the galaxy and while Chi Chi was still incredibly strong for a human; she was just that.

Goku pulled Goten's desk chair out and flipped it around so he could sit with the back in front as he rested his arms.

"Goten, just answer my questions okay? I need to know what happened."

"Fine Dad," Goten muttered with his face in his pillow.

"Last anyone knew, you and Trunks were playing football throughout the entire complex. What happened between then and this whole thing?"

"We were just killing time until the girls showed up. You know Trunks and I are pretty hot commodities at school. All the chicks want us."

Goku sprouted an odd grin. Normally a statement like that would make him laugh; but considering the circumstances, he was very concerned.

"So then how did you and Trunks get your hands on the alcohol and the drugs?" Goku asked.

"Trunks already had them hidden in his room. He took the bottles of vodka and whisky from the open bar before the party started. He took the coke from Bulma's desk drawer in her office, which is apparently where she hides it now so Vegeta doesn't find it."

"And you and Trunks shared these with your classmates?"

"Yea of course, we were partying."

"Okay, and most importantly, Vegeta told your Mom you were having sex with one of the girls when he walked in. Were you using protection?"

"How do you know what protection is Dad? Gohan and Mom told me you're one of the most naïve guys on the planet."

"Well it's been a long time since I married your mother Goten. I'm sure you know what I mean."

"Ewww…Anyway, the answer is yes Dad. I was wearing protection. And there's no chance I would have gotten her pregnant either since she uses contraception, much like almost all the girls at school, and I practically passed out before I even got to _that_ point," Goten explained.

"Well at least you know to use protection. Look, your mother wouldn't agree with this; but I really don't take issue with you doing funny business with girls, as long as you use protection. But when it comes to the alcohol and the drugs, those things stunt the physical and mental development of people your age-Saiyan or non-Saiyan. So on those things I will be just as strict as your Mom if it happens again. Understand?"

After a long pause Goten responded, "Okay Dad, I understand. I'm somewhat impressed you know about all this."

"I've been on this planet long enough son. Just relax for now and get some sleep. It's pretty late. And I think your mother will have a bit of an unpleasant surprise for you in the morning."

With that Goku exited his son's room to find his wife standing right there. Goku knew enough to realize she was listening but didn't want to say anything so Goten's Saiyan hearing wouldn't pick up on the fact that his mother was listening. He motioned to move downstairs so they could speak.

Goku and Chi Chi eventually decided to go outside in the cold night air.

"Good pep talk Goku. At least that's along the lines of what a normal father would do."

The latter statement caught Goku off-guard. Was Chi Chi suggesting that what he did was 'decent' when considering that he was who he was? He always viewed himself as a good father, even if unconventional. Goku noticed a glass of bourbon in Chi Chi's hand.

"Anyway, I've decided that Goten has been under bad influences at public school, including that of Trunks. He will be home schooled the way Gohan was until further notice," Chi Chi stated without any equivocation.

"I guess that makes sense," Goku agreed.


	4. Parental Duties II

Disclaimer:

I do not own or profit from any Dragonball Z content or characters. The same applies to any popular songs referenced in the story, any publications, movies, or other cultural references. Any original characters not in the Dragonball Z universe are named at random, and not intended to mirror any living or dead individual.

The idea for this story belongs to Charismatic Beauty

 **Chapter 4: Parental Duties II**

Bulma remained outside as tears welled from her eyes. She couldn't believe her son would engage in behavior like that. More importantly, if her own behavior is what influenced him she wasn't sure if she would be able to cope with the guilt. She also didn't know how Vegeta would react. It wasn't until her daughter was born that she felt fully secure Vegeta would be by her side for the rest of her life; but what if this ordeal caused him to take both Trunks and Bulla and leave? She continued to think as she continued to let tears flow out of her eyes.

Meanwhile, inside the party, everyone witnessed Vegeta (many for the first time seeing him ever) carrying Trunks like a sack of potatoes into the private quarters of the compound. His insane muscular build and scowl fit the description of him that the tabloids had reported about Bulma Briefs's husband. The crowd gasped at the sight and was silent while Vegeta walked by with Trunks in hand.

Gohan viewed the scene from the opposite side of the room as Videl clenched onto him, oblivious of the proceedings.

"Hey Videl, I think Bulma's outside. Why don't we go chat with her while we have the chance? My parents and Goten left a little while ago anyway."

Videl didn't question Gohan, also hoping for a chance to talk with Bulma too. She and Bulma had become close over the years-especially in the time before she and Gohan were engaged. She often provided 'cover' while the young couple were doing _things_ that Gohan's mother and Videl's father would not have approved.

As they stepped outside, they spotted Bulma sitting with her head down. Some of her mascara had visibly dripped down her face suggesting something was very wrong.

"Bulma…" Videl gasped out of shock and concern.

"Hey guys," Bulma acknowledged their presence in a very quiet manner.

"What happened Bulma?" Gohan finally asked.

Bulma picked up her face revealing her full tears and smudged makeup.

"A whole bunch of things happened. Trunks and Goten are both in big trouble. And I think I'm at blame for a lot of it," Bulma was able to state this sentence and then started balling.

Videl held her for a little while until she calmed down. Gohan continued to stand, feeling very awkward but knowing enough not to ask anything further for now.

After a time, Bulma spoke, "You two should probably go. I have a feeling your brother might need your help to fend off your mom. Not to mention things here have gotten really dicey. I need some more time to collect myself; but once I do I'm going to start ushering out the guests. I hope at least you both had a nice evening."

Gohan looked at the older woman with a stern face. For her to suggest Goten might need some protection from his mother meant something really bad happened. Videl offered a small grin to Bulma to indicate that she and Gohan did in fact have a good evening.

"You two need to leave now. This is no longer a request," Bulma commanded in a more authoritarian tone than usual.

Gohan and Videl obeyed and left for their home, which was 'naturally' right next to the one Gohan lived in when he was younger. Both his parents and his brother were still awake when they arrived home at 2 in the morning, which itself was odd. Worse, all three had very disrupted energies. However, buckling under his exhaustion Gohan decided it would be better to wait until after some sleep before he paid a visit.

***Back at Capsule Corp***

 _Punch, Punch, Punch_

All landed as intended.

"You think this behavior is acceptable, you punk. You're a disgrace!" Vegeta yelled at his son.

Vegeta had the gravity in the chamber up to 500 times that of Earth's normal gravity. This was the level he trained at right before he became a Super Saiyan. He still had difficulty with it in his base state; but Trunks could barely move without transforming, allowing Vegeta to tee-off on him. Of course, had Trunks transformed, he knew his father would do the same.

 _Slap, Jab, Punch, Roundhouse Kick_

The kick sent Trunks flying into the wall. Vegeta walked toward him like he would in a real battle and grabbed him by the collar of his LaCoste polo, which was now already ruined.

"You have royal Saiyan blood in you and you act like a miscreant Earthling!"

 _Upward Toss, Smack Down to the Ground_

"I may not be able to completely control what your mother does; but you can be sure as hell I will beat this non-sense out of you," Vegeta continued while performing discipline that would normally be considered child abuse if the child were completely human.

Regardless, Trunks was badly beaten up. He couldn't see out of one eye from swelling, and he was pretty sure his father cracked one of his ribs earlier.

Finally, after about an hour of torture, Vegeta shut the gravity off.

"You'll fully heal in about two days," Vegeta told his son.

"I don't anticipate my beating will be enough for you. You are not to socialize for the duration of the school year, and then also during this next summer. Understand? You will go to school, return home immediately, train, eat, do your homework, and then repeat the process the next day. During the summer you will eat and train, as a true Saiyan does when not in battle. And if you think about trying to sneak out, remember I can sense your whereabouts even while I'm sleeping," Vegeta laid the gauntlet down of his son's full punishment, though fibbing about his ability to sense energy while sleeping. Trunks wasn't experienced enough as a fighter to know the difference.

Though it didn't matter at this point. Vegeta had never disciplined Trunks like this before. He knew how powerful his father was; but he was now deathly afraid of him and of what would happen if he violated his father's terms.

"Now shower and go to bed," Vegeta sneered at his son.

***At Mount Paotz***

Gohan and Videl had long since went to bed. Since Pan was with her great-grandfather, they would normally take advantage of a childless house. But both were too bushed to do anything besides try to sleep. Despite being the more exhausted of the two, Gohan had difficulties falling asleep. The image of his mother dancing with another man kept playing in his head. He wouldn't think anything of it if Videl danced with someone else besides him the way his mother did; but this was his mother. Her traditional nature made so that she almost by default would view such activities as betraying his father.

And then there was the comment she made in his ear before he went to dance with Videl about him not wanting to have a relationship with Videl like the one his dad did with his mom. Even Gohan's brilliant mind couldn't find a logical way to explain things to himself without concluding that there was something wrong between his parents. And then what did his brother do that got him in so much trouble? He couldn't imagine Goten doing anything THAT bad outside of juvenile mischief. Was he that out of the loop with his family? Granted he really only had time for his work and his wife and daughter; but if there was a time he was needed, he felt this was it.

"Gohan?" Videl's groggy voice questioned.

"Yea Videl."

"Are you thinking about work again?" Videl asked knowing it was common for Gohan's work to consume his thoughts at night.

"If you are I may be forced to put you to sleep. Tomorrow's Saturday. Sleep in and take a freaking day off for the first time since your daughter was born."

"No, Videl. That's not it…"

"You're begging the question, Gohan," Videl replied now more or less awake.

Gohan let out a large sigh, "Did you see my mother dancing with a man who wasn't my father earlier tonight?"

"Mmm…no I'm pretty sure my face was either in your chest or looking at your face with my lips on yours almost the entire time there."

"Well, she did."

"…And?"

"Nothing specific. She just danced a song with the guy and that was it."

" _This_ is keeping you up?" Videl sardonically asked.

"Yes, Videl. My mother is so old-school that dancing with another man is akin to sleeping with him for any other person. She told me a few years back right before we married that she thought dancing with someone other than your spouse who is not family is a form of betrayal. So yes, this is a big deal. That's not to mention her basically telling me to go dance with you even though I was apprehensive at first because I would otherwise end up having the relationship with you that my father does with her."

"I thought your parents had a good relationship," Videl noted.

"Me too. Did something change under my nose? Or are they just bickering about something right now and this will blow over? Normally I'd think the latter but given what my mother did makes me think twice. There's also the business with my brother as well…"

"I'm going to make some night time tea, Gohan. You're going to have some. Not only will you not solve this now, you won't solve it thinking yourself into a tizzy while lying in bed without a shirt at 2:30 in the morning. So sleep it is for you."

Gohan took a deep breath and tried to relax for now, realizing his wife's airtight logic.

***Back at Capsule Corp***

The final guests left the soiree at 3 in the morning. Vegeta looked at Bulma noticing the visible signs of how upset she was. Bulma looked back at him bracing for a verbal lashing, and also wondering what Vegeta did with her son.

"The boy is in bed. He'll fully heal in a couple days. I laid forth several conditions as a manner of punishment that he is not to violate. I will explain the details tomorrow. I want him away from these pathetic Earthlings as much as possible for the time being. As for you, I don't have the energy right now. I will speak with your father tomorrow. You need professional help. I'm going to sleep now."

Bulma was shocked that Vegeta didn't yell or use obscenities. He was so…matter of fact. Perhaps the time of day contributed. Either way, Bulma was not going to argue-even though she was still a bit wired. She followed Vegeta to bed.


	5. Temptations of the Big City

**Thank you to everyone for the reviews and remarks. This Chapter 5 will delve into the meat and potatoes of the story. Kudos to those of you who pick up on the "Enzo the Baker" reference.**

Disclaimer:

I do not own or profit from any Dragonball Z content or characters. The same applies to any popular songs referenced in the story, any publications, movies, or other cultural references. Any original characters not in the Dragonball Z universe are named at random, and not intended to mirror any living or dead individual.

The idea for this story belongs to Charismatic Beauty.

 **Chapter 5: Temptations of the Big City**

The morning after the party and fiasco, everyone slept in after what was a long night both in terms of hours and events.

Not surprisingly, Chi Chi was the first to rise. She went downstairs and found the refrigerator to just have enough to feed the two Saiyans upstairs breakfast. Per usual, she made herself a quick cup of coffee and prepared the first meal of the day. Upon the caffeine kicking in, she remembered what happened with Goten. Her facial expression changed from neutral to visibly angry. Unfortunately for her son, he was there to see it.

Still feeling awkward from what transpired the previous evening, Goten shyly greeted his mother, "Good morning, Mom."

Chi Chi turned with a scowl on her face that would rival Vegeta's and looked at her son who was no longer the spitting image of a young Goku that he was as a child.

 _Slap…Slap_

"You should be ashamed of yourself for last night," Chi Chi concluded after smacking her son across the face twice.

Goten clearly felt a sting. He remembered how strong his mother was from her training him when he was younger; but he never remembered her being able to actually inflict pain on a Saiyan-even if it was only a tiny amount.

"You are not going anywhere today and you'll sit in that chair until I say so. Your father and I need to have a talk with you about your punishment," Chi Chi commanded and then explained to her son.

Speaking of Goku, he was still sleeping, which irked Chi Chi. She specifically asked him to be awake on time for this.

"Goku! Breakfast is ready!"

Within three seconds Goku was downstairs sitting at the table.

"Oh boy! I'm famished!" Goku exclaimed, always like a kid in a candy shop before a meal.

Chi Chi rolled her eyes that she had to resort to the 'breakfast is ready' measure despite all the circumstances.

"What's here is all the food we have left you two. It should tide you over for a bit; but I have to go into the city to shop for food."

Chi Chi may as well have been talking to no one since both Saiyans were hypnotized by their sustenance. But at this point of her life she probably should have known better.

***3 minutes later***

"Ahhh, that was delicious Chi!" Goku exclaimed.

Goten finished his food shortly after his father, "Thank you, Mom. That was good," he stated with evident fear in his voice because of what happened right before his meal.

Normally Chi Chi would have acknowledged the compliments but she had other things on her mind.

"Good. Now that you're both done, Goten we're going to discuss the details of your punishment for what happened last night. Foremost, until further notice you will be home schooled the way your brother was. Clearly the students in school, notably Trunks, are providing you with a very negative influence. I want you out of that environment. So you will be. Second, there will be a time table where you and Trunks will not be allowed to see each other. We will discuss that time period with his parents. You are not to socialize with any of the other students from school again-at all. Your computer will be removed from your room and one will be placed in the living room so I can monitor who you're contacting. You are well aware that if you try leaving the house without permission your father will be able to pick up on your motions. Finally, since you'll be around the house, you'll have a list of daily and weekly chores to complete based on the list I provide you. These will continue indefinitely. Any questions?"

Goten looked at his mother like a deer in the headlights. His entire social life just went out the window. He wasn't like his brother. He liked to have fun and meet people. But he knew enough there was no reasoning with his mother.

After a pause Goten replied, "No. No questions."

"Good then. I've already set up your studies for today. Tomorrow I should be able to give you a weekly syllabus."

Goku, somewhat as a bystander during this noted that he really couldn't remember the last time Chi Chi was this strict. Like his son, however, he knew there was no argument here. What his wife said was law in matters like these.

Somewhat accidentally, Goten mildly protested, "It's Saturday, Mom."

"And? What? My standards are much higher than those of your school. They did wonders for your brother."

Now, becoming somewhat bitter, Goten lashed back, "Yea, it did Gohan wonders. You turned him into a goober. He lucked into a good woman to marry and now barely sees her and his daughter. _I_ see his wife and daughter more than he does," Goten sassed and then only realizing afterward what he had done.

Goku was only paying desultory attention to the proceedings at this point, but he picked up on Goten's recent statement and noticed Chi Chi's face turning red with the look of death on it. He worked to quickly defuse the situation before things became ugly.

"Whooaaa. Goten. You do NOT talk back to your mother like that! Got it?!"

Chi Chi started to settle down a bit after Goku came to her defense. Goten looked at his father with defeat and went to his room.

"Thank you Goku," Chi Chi said in a low voice.

"Sure. You're right. He really does need some discipline drummed into him."

Chi Chi then marched upstairs and handed Goten a packet of work for the day without saying a word.

She returned downstairs and told Goku she was about to leave for the city.

"Keep an eye on Goten while I'm gone. No goofing around, no training either. I'll know if you let him slack based on the amount of work he has done when I get back."

Goku often used to protest the 'no training' part when Gohan was younger; but for right now he was in agreement with Chi Chi and simply nodded in the affirmative to her, "Give me a little more credit Chi."

Chi Chi just gave a small smile back, and with that she hopped in the car Bulma gave them a while ago and headed to West City.

***West City***

Chi Chi really disdained urban environments. She dreaded heading into the city and dealing with the rude people, no parking spaces, and constant chaos. It was certainly a contrast to Mount Paotz.

She continued driving around looking for a parking space. Another driver honked her horn at her as she was distracted while a red light turned green. Sighing in frustration she made a right and found a space. She still struggled with parallel parking; but managed to maneuver her vehicle into the space.

Getting out she took a deep breath and moved onto the sidewalk. Looking around and seeing skyscrapers in the near distance as well as women dressed more…modern than her, she felt sorely out of place. The buildings decked out in holiday decorations were indeed a sight to see, but that was the only redeeming quality. She put on her faux scowl she wore in the city to try and scare off potential predators as she marched in the direction of the grocery mart. Her fast paced walking kept her warm in the winter weather.

After walking some two blocks she noticed a sign reading "Guiseppe's." It sounded familiar to Chi Chi but it was scrambled somewhere in her mind. After pondering for a few seconds she remembered. The man's bakery. She stood in front of the sign thinking of whether she should go in, perhaps buy her bread there. But frankly she wanted to speak to the man again. After initial awkward hurdles, she felt very comfortable with him the previous evening.

" _No, I can't have this distraction. Especially with what's going on right now with Goten_ ," She thought to herself.

She continued onward to the usual area where she shopped. She picked up her typical amount of groceries, which garnered jesting questions from the cashier about whether she was hosting a party. It required her to go back and get her car to pick up the vast amount of items. So she had to walk back another six blocks. A woman on a mission, she walked briskly with her arms fully swinging. And then she saw the sign again, "Giuseppe's."

She stopped in her tracks and thought for a second time about going in.

" _I suppose I could go in and buy a few more loaves of bread. Maybe a cake even. It's not as if it will go to waste_."

She then realized she didn't even know what the man looked like. He had on the goofy Coliseum hat the night before. Either way, she decided to check it out, if only to see if the products were good. The place was always busy after all.

Chi Chi entered and her ears were immediately bombarded with echoing noise of the various patrons along with some of the workers there-almost all male-shouting things in what sounded like Italian. She noticed a sign which read, "Please Take a Number." She did just that and waited while taking in the surroundings. The downstairs was a traditional bakery while the second level appeared to be a bistro of some sort. She looked around as she waited. The place was full of Christmas decorations and had a Catholic crucifix hanging. She also noticed maps of Italy on the wall, pictures of landmarks there, including the Coliseum, as well as photos of well-known Italian-American actors and widely popular mafia movies.

" _At least I can conclusively say they are speaking Italian_." Chi Chi noted to herself.

A burly and rotund man called out "Number 344!" in a thick Italian accent. That was her number.

She moved up to the counter and was about to greet the man when he asked "What you have?" in broken English. Shocked by the lack of pleasantries, Chi Chi was a bit stunned and at a loss for words. The man prodded again, "Ms, we are very busy as you can see. You order something or no?" Chi Chi immediately interpreted the man's words as rather rude and was about to fire back at him until another man came from the other side behind the counter and said something to the man in Italian.

The man who was now apparently serving her washed his hands and moved behind the counter.

"Glad you stopped by. Good to see you," the man said to Chi Chi.

Chi Chi looked behind her to see if he was talking to someone else. There was no one behind her.

"I'm sorry sir. Have we met before?" Chi Chi asked with visible discomfort on her face.

"Yes, last night at the Capsule Corp gala," he replied.

Slapping her forehead to show she realized how slow she was on the take, Chi Chi finally got with the program.

"Oh, we danced, correct? You had on a mask with the Roman Coliseum on top?"

"Yes, that was me. I suppose I forgot that you wouldn't recognize my face. You know we never gave each other our names. My name is Enzo. Pleased to meet you outside of a costume party," Enzo began to laugh at the end of his statement.

Chi Chi was somewhat caught up examining the facial features she couldn't see the previous evening because of the lighting at the gala as well as his mask. Light brown hair and brown eyes. He was taller than her, but not as tall as Goku, who Chi Chi typically used as a benchmark for men's height, hence her declaring Gohan 'a giant.' He had moderate build-a fair amount of lean muscle judging from his arms. Starting to gray, but not too much.

" _If he's a business owner with minor gray hair, then that would put him early to mid-30s._ _My my, I really feel old."_

"Did one of the products catch your eye?" Enzo asked, confused by her lack of response.

Chi Chi stuttered feeling like he knew she was basically checking him out, "Ah, no. I mean, not quite yet. I'm basically looking for a few loaves of bread, and maybe a cake."

"Okay, what kind of bread do you eat?"

"Rye, Wheat, White, Whole Grain…pretty much anything," Chi Chi stuttered out while blushing.

Enzo eyed Chi Chi with a raised eyebrow, "Many tastes then. Would you like one of each?"

"S _he really is strange_." Enzo thought to himself

"Uhhh, sure. Sounds good."

"And then as for cake?"

"Chocolate. Preferably double fudge with fudge pieces."

"That's a lot of chocolate. Okay let's see…" Enzo eyed what was on display.

"I think we have the kind of cake you want in the back."

Enzo then turned to one of his workers and again said something Chi Chi didn't understand but she figured it amounted to 'go in the back and get this kind of cake.'

Enzo briefly sighed as his workers were helping other customers.

"Sorry about Angelo earlier. He's used to dealing with regular customers who know exactly what they want when they come in. That's why I pulled him off you. I could see he was getting frustrated. Sometimes he's self-conscience about his English and gets worked up if he doesn't think someone understands him," Enzo explained while waiting for the cake.

Chi Chi looked at Enzo and said, "I accept your apology, though he was very rude."

"While I suppose it comes across like that. But it's kind of a cultural difference. In the old country people don't exchange pleasantries with strangers when conducting transactions the way we might here."

"Oh, well okay then. Are you from there?" Chi Chi asked, now curious.

"No, I was born here. My father is from there, as was my grandfather. Most of the men who work here are immigrants and started working here when my father ran the show."

"Wow. That's actually pretty cool," Chi Chi remarked while questioning whether she actually just used the word 'cool' outside of Bulma's presence.

"So then these pictures, the language…I guess that explains your choice of mask last night then?" Chi Chi asked now connecting some dots.

"Yea, in a way. I actually didn't know what I was going to have on until the afternoon yesterday. I was considering just going as myself as you did," Enzo explained as Chi Chi cringed at him saying she went as 'herself.'

"Then I came across the get-up I wore and figured it would work, even if it is a bit stereotypical," Enzo added.

"So what time did you get home?" Enzo asked. "I heard that thing was going well into the morning."

"Umm, about two." Chi Chi answered, though she thought about giving an answer that sounded more respectable.

"I'll bet, it looks like it judging from the shiners you have under your eyes," Enzo noted.

"Did you stay late, or head out early?" Chi Chi asked to be polite.

"I left not too long after we danced. I just felt really uncomfortable there. Not to mention we get here at about 6 in the morning usually to do prep before opening."

"I can certainly sympathize," Chi Chi stated.

The man came from the back with the cake Chi Chi asked for and Enzo simultaneously started bagging the bread she wanted. He handed her the items and Chi Chi pulled out her wallet.

"It's on the house," Enzo told her.

"What? You're not a casino. I have to pay you. I wouldn't feel right about it."

"No, no. It's our policy. A customer's first purchase is free up to a certain amount of money," Enzo lied. "Besides, I'd like to try and make up for the fact that your first time here wasn't the most pleasant."

"Oh, okay then…I guess. Thank you very much. And it was a pleasure to meet you without a mask Enzo."

"Likewise. Enjoy the rest of your Saturday."

Chi Chi walked back to the car with the bread and cake in hand. She placed the cake in the back and then kept the loaves of bread in the passenger seat since she was hungry and figured she would nibble a bit on her drive back home. After all, she sacrificed her own breakfast so Goku and Goten wouldn't starve.

She then remembered that she never picked up her groceries. She left there almost an hour ago. Quickly, she started her vehicle and sped to the store. When she arrived, her groceries were still there; but some of the workers at the store weren't too happy about having to wait for her that long. Regardless, she managed to load everything in her car and was ready to drive back to the mountains.

When she finally made it out of West City traffic on the highway, she reach into the bag where the bread was. Instead of a loaf, there was a piece of paper that had the texture of a receipt. But that didn't make sense since Enzo gave her the items for free. She pulled it out and looked at it. It was a receipt that read $0.00 total. Chi Chi looked on the back and realized it had Enzo's name and number on it. It read "If you're interested in meeting for lunch or coffee sometime, give me a call or text."

Chi Chi put it down and placed her eyes back on the road.

"The nerve of that man. Trying to get a date with a married woman!" Chi Chi said out loud.

She threw the piece of paper back into the passenger seat and finally grabbed onto a loaf of bread and broke off a piece. Upon taking a bite, she had to admit that at least the bread was very good. It was no wonder they were always busy.

Eating with her right hand and driving with her left, something felt odd about her grip on the steering wheel. It felt too…exact. Without further thought Chi Chi looked at her ring finger. She had never put her wedding ring back on from the night before.

"Oh boy…" she lamented in the solitude of her vehicle.

Chi Chi partially grinned and thought about how flattering it was to receive that kind of interest from a man who was clearly younger than her. Granted she looked much younger than her age; but still. She couldn't remember the last time Goku gave her _that_ kind of attention.

She had another 45 minutes of driving before she got home. Plenty of time to think.


	6. Unacceptable

I figured at this point in the story it'd be a good idea to start responding to comments:

1: The story will get to things about Goku's habits, he and Chi Chi talking, Chi Chi reaching out to Enzo. And no, Ox is not dead in this story.

Charismatic Beauty: See below for tension.

kawaii248: Will he find out Chi Chi is married? Revealing that would spoil too much.

Spellweaver10: Thank you.

Disclaimer:

I do not own or profit from any Dragonball Z content or characters. The same applies to any popular songs referenced in the story, any publications, movies, or other cultural references. Any original characters not in the Dragonball Z universe are named at random, and not intended to mirror any living or dead individual.

The idea for this story belongs to Charismatic Beauty.

 **Chapter 6** : **Unacceptable**

A week had passed since Chi Chi received Enzo's number. It was now a week before Christmas. She held onto the number and hid it in her undergarment drawer. She really had no intention to use it; but still wasn't so sure of herself as to actually discard it. She had been so caught up since the gala watching Goten like a hawk that she had not even started holiday shopping. Granted, Goten wouldn't be receiving anything this year as part of his punishment; but that didn't account for everyone else.

Chi Chi sat down at the kitchen table after finishing breakfast. Goten came downstairs to eat. He and his mother exchanged no words, as had been the case during the past week. Chi Chi gave him commands, certainly; but they did not even swap pleasantries. Goku should've been down by now. There's no doubt he smelled the food.

Knowing her son could determine where his father was she asked, "Where's your father?"

Without making eye contact with Chi Chi, Goten quietly replied, "Out a couple miles or so…definitely started his training."

Chi Chi closed her eyes and grimaced upon hearing this. He could at least give her notice or leave a note if he was going to leave early. She made enough food for _two_ Saiyans, and she would have to store the remainders of it in their home's backup fridge, which was of course necessary to accommodate Saiyan appetites.

"Just a heads up I'll probably skip making lunch given the amount of food that's left over. The rest of it is in the backup fridge," Chi Chi stated to no one in particular, but clearly directing her statement toward Goten.

Chi Chi handed Goten his work for the day, which yielded a sigh from the teenager.

"Knock of the attitude," Chi Chi sternly commanded her son.

"You're telling me to knock off the attitude? You always carry around an attitude," Goten retorted.

Ready to lash out at her youngest, Chi Chi calmly told him, "Replace the roof shingles before you do your work today. I still expect all of it to be done by the end of the day." Chi Chi turned her back to him and walked away.

"That's completely unreasonable!" Goten protested.

"You're half-Saiyan! You can do the roof in an hour!" Chi Chi yelled back while continuing to walk away.

She returned to thinking about developing a shopping list, and then realized that they really didn't have any Christmas plans with anyone. Chi Chi decided it would be a good idea to call the Briefs to make some tentative arrangements. Upon calling the compound, she was met with a deep, yet not gruff voice.

"Hi, this is Chi Chi. Am I speaking with Trunks?"

"Uh, hi Chi Chi, yes, this is he."

Chi Chi then heard in the background, _"Give me the damn phone boy! You know you are not to use it."_

Vegeta checked the caller ID and immediately rolled his eyes. It could only be Kakarot's excuse for a mate. No one else in that house bothered with a phone.

"What do you want?" Vegeta asked angrily.

"Hi Vegeta, this is Chi Chi…"

"Yea, I know. What do you want?"

"Is Bulma available?" Chi Chi had tried calling Bulma's mobile multiple times over the past week; but she couldn't get an answer.

"No. The Woman is on an extended business trip. She'll return home right before the seasonal holiday you Earthlings refer to as 'Christmas.'"

"Okay then. I was wondering if there were any plans for our families to gather around that time, the way we usually do. I haven't heard anything from Bulma on the matter, which is kind of unusual."

"I wouldn't know. Any plans will have to wait until Bulma returns," Vegeta replied.

"Fine," Chi Chi acknowledged that she wasn't going to get much from Vegeta.

Before hanging up, there was something else she wanted to address with the Saiyan Prince.

"Hey, Vegeta, I was thinking it might be a good idea if Goten and Trunks were forbidden from seeing one another until further notice-perhaps with the exception of special occasions, like holidays. Whenever they're together, they still seem to bring out the worst in one another like when they were kids. Except now the outcome is a lot worse."

Vegeta stood silently at the other end of the line. Chi Chi was partially expecting him to blame Goten and his upbringing for what happened. However, he actually agreed with Kakarot's procreative conduit, or _his wife_ as most seemed to say, "Yes, I agree that is a wise idea. Though no final decision can be made until Bulma returns. So until then let us agree that the timetable is indefinite."

Chi Chi took note of how Vegeta viewed Bulma as an equal in raising their children, "Very well then…so Bulma can't be contacted at all?" Chi Chi finally inquired.

Vegeta became nervous and tried to find a reason that would make sense. He looked at the television and viewed a headline that had the acronym 'CIA' in it. During his period on Earth, he had learned about the American government's espionage agency and much of what they did behind closed doors.

"She's doing some special work with the CIA," Vegeta blabbered.

"She cannot be contacted during this time outside of me, our children, and her parents," Vegeta concluded, beginning to regain his composure.

"Fine then. I guess we'll talk when she gets back," Chi Chi tried ending the conversation to avoid further odd interactions with Vegeta.

"Yes, very well," Vegeta stated as he ended the phone conversation.

Dr. Briefs was only on the other side of the room and heard Vegeta's elaborate tale to Chi Chi.

"CIA? Not bad; but what about everyone else in the company, as well as your daughter, who just thinks she's on extended business?"

"If that happens, then it can be explained away by her doing secretive work with the most powerful espionage group on this planet," Vegeta justified his lie.

"You're not the only one who wants to keep this a secret. It would be an embarrassment for me and my children if the press found out that Bulma was down south receiving drug rehabilitation. For you, not only would you be embarrassed by your daughter; but the company you built from scratch would receive serious reputational damage. So let's continue to play this close to the chest," Vegeta finalized, falling back on instincts he developed while under Frieza's command.

"You have a point my boy," Dr. Briefs concurred with his son-in-law.

***Chi Chi***

" _Wait, CIA work? That doesn't make sense. Capsule Corp has government contracts all over the world; but why would they make the head of a private company privy to specific plans to the point where she could not be contacted? Moreover, Vegeta wouldn't be allowed to even tell me that if it were true."_

It made no sense to Chi Chi, but she had no basis to dispute it. She always conceded there were some things about Bulma's life that she would never know.

She decided to return to her holiday shopping list. She sat at the kitchen table and started writing out names, hoping the gift ideas would soon follow. She finished the list of usual names and started to write out 'E-n-z…'

Chi Chi shook her head and crossed the letters out. She had a serious problem. Amazingly, the only other man besides Goku to smitten her was a human, and a baker nonetheless. The fact that she would not discard his number was enough to say that. The only thing holding her back from contacting him was her on-going commitment to Goku, as well as the difficulties her son was having and the need he currently had for both of his parents to be united and provide him a stable foundation. She let her head fall down as the conversation she had with Gohan played in her head again, as it had every day since then.

***Flashback: Day After the Gala***

Chi Chi returned from West City with a carload of groceries. She was about to ask Goku to help, only to realize he was sleeping. He must have dosed off recently because Goten was still diligently doing his work, suggesting he didn't know he was unsupervised.

After a long trip back and forth, Chi Chi rubbed her tired eyes and worked up the will to load the groceries in the house. A minute or so after she began her haul, Gohan appeared and whispered to her, "Hey mom, need a hand?"

Chi Chi allowed a glowing smile to come through. If there was any definition of a mother's pride and joy, Gohan was it. Others thought of him as a 'momma's boy,'; but that didn't bother her. She knew that he not only had the intellect that she worked to cultivate; but also his father's bravery, strength, and all around good character as a man. With that established, Chi Chi was of course concerned that Gohan was neglecting his own family.

"Well, I could use some help Gohan; but what's going on with Pan and Videl? You almost never take a day off, and now that you are, you're not spending time with them?"

Gohan cocked a half-grin, "I was, but they're both napping now; so I figured I'd stop by for a bit. It's not like I'm far away from home."

"Sounds like your daughter takes after her grandfather," She quipped while pointing at Goku on the sofa. "Okay, Gohan. I feel guilty; but I really could use the help. So have at it."

"No worries Mom. There's not a lot going on right now anyway."

Gohan assisted his mother with finishing loading and placing things in the proper place in the fridge and cupboards. Chi Chi was mindful to snag the receipt with Enzo's number so Gohan wouldn't see it. After finishing, she asked if Gohan wanted something to eat, which is often how these visits had ended since Pan was born and Videl was busy trying to almost unilaterally raise her granddaughter. Gohan replied in the negative, prompting Chi Chi to ask if he preferred some tea instead. Gohan agreed.

Chi Chi laid out a cup of tea for her son and herself. No sooner than she took a sip, Gohan started to speak, albeit whispering to avoid waking his father in the other room.

"So…mom. There's a couple things I wanted to ask you about what happened last night."

Chi Chi put her cup down and looked at her eldest assuming he was about to inquire about his younger brother. She swelled with pride about how responsible he had become in his adulthood. Even with his own family, he was still concerned about his younger sibling.

"What exactly happened with Goten and Trunks?" Gohan followed-up.

After Chi Chi explained to him the details as well as Goten's punishment, Gohan gave her a blank stare with his mouth wide open.

"Whoa. And here I thought it was something trivial. This is serious stuff. As much as it pains me to say it, I really think you're doing the right thing here mom. That's a really dangerous path he's embarking on."

Chi Chi closed her eyes as she nodded 'yes.'

"I'd like to have a talk with him before I leave, preferably in private, if you're okay with it."

"Sure Gohan," Chi Chi permitted.

"And when I say private I mean it. I don't want you eavesdropping," Gohan stated assertively, knowing his mother's peeping habits when it came to her children.

Gohan took a sip of tea and continued, "Before I do that, there's something else unrelated I wanted to ask you."

Chi Chi gave Gohan a quizzical look, "Okay…"

"Who was the man you danced with last night? I didn't know you had any male friends. Did Bulma introduce you to him?"

Chi Chi's spoon fell from her hand as she was stirring milk in her hot beverage, very much not expecting Gohan to ask about this matter. She concluded there was no harm in telling him, though it be best if she leave out the part of her meeting him earlier that day.

"Well…I don't actually know who he is Gohan. He just asked me to dance. So we did," Chi Chi attempted to play it off as matter of fact, of course lying about the part of her not knowing the man.

Gohan removed his glasses and messaged the shiners under his eyes. He detected his mother was hiding something.

"You remember when you gave me your spiel about dancing with someone other than your spouse who wasn't family right before Videl and I married? Did that just apply to me, or were you speaking generally?" Gohan now giving his mother some mild uncharacteristic lip.

Maintaining a good front, Chi Chi grinned and silently chuckled. She certainly meant what she said at that time; but she would have to spin this somehow to her son, who was probably reading her like a book at this point. That's one thing Piccolo taught him that she never could have.

"Gohan…look, I said that because it was your wedding day, and similar to your father, you aren't necessarily familiar with 'normal people' customs-at least then you weren't. But I saw the way Videl's bridesmaids looked at you. I didn't want anything to get messy. In all sincerity, the only women you should have danced with that night were me, and then Videl afterward. At that's what happened. I just wanted to make sure that's what happened because, honestly, had one of her friends tried getting their hands on you for a bit, you probably would have thought it was normal. Instead, it would have led to a bitter bride and could have ruined the whole thing."

"So your attempt to make dancing a part of marital fidelity was to shield me from my own nativité? That seems like a long way to go just for that," Gohan remarked.

Chi Chi sighed, "Maybe so; but you know how I can be. Plus I really was paranoid about that wedding. I couldn't rest until the wedding ceremony and reception were complete and you and Videl were off by yourselves. Had anything gone wrong, you would have lost the only woman I would probably have ever approved of you marrying."

Not so convinced but realizing his mother was on her game today, Gohan decided to delve into the matter of his brother.

Gohan gulped down the remainder of his lukewarm tea, "Alright, I'm going to head upstairs. No eavesdropping, please."

He knocked on the bedroom door while it was cracked open. Gohan stepped in and greeted his brother, who was seemingly quite focused on his work.

"Hey bro. How you doing?"

"You and mom done engaging in incest?" Goten snapped back at his brother.

Gohan raised his eyebrow finding Goten's insult rather weird. He looked down at his desk and saw _Oedipus_ sitting there with a bookmark.

" _No wonder he has incest on the mind."_

"What's the deal Goten? Why are you upset with me? I just came here to talk to you."

"How nice of you to grace me with your presence. Mr. Perfect Golden Boy," Goten scoffed.

"Goten, what's your deal?" Gohan asked, now much more firmly.

"My deal is that you being a fucking perfect momma's boy has now set a standard that our mother thinks is normal. Because you were, and still are, a socially awkward dweep who spends his life in books makes her think I should be like that. That's what she's trying to do. Make me your clone. I'd love to tell her the number of times I found used condoms in this room when I was younger, as well as the number of times I caught you and Videl fooling around red-handed when you were teenagers. I wonder what she'd think of her perfect little boy now!"

Gohan rolled his eyes, "Yea, I fail to see how this relates me. Mom was like this since I was a toddler. And go ahead. Tell her. It would mean nothing at this point. And if that was my worst discretion when I was younger, it still grossly compares to yours. Mom's right to do this. I thought so before; but you have a serious attitude problem. I don't care if it's teenage angst or whatever; but you're seriously just being a prick."

"Get out of here. You've been out of my life for over five years and now you come waltzing in when something bad happens? Had it not been for this, you still wouldn't give me the time of day unless _mom_ forced you. Now get out of _my_ room. I have work to do."

"Too bad dad isn't stricter. You need your ass kicked. That's what you really need. I'd be happy to do it myself; but unfortunately it's not my job."

Gohan turned and walked back down to find his mother eavesdropping. He also found his now awake father also eavesdropping.

He turned to his mother and said, "You might want to hold off on the Greek tragedies until he's a bit more mature. The lesson in _Oedipus_ is that hubris blinds-something he could learn right now. The point of it is not to teach the meaning of the word 'incest.'"

With that Gohan walked out the door, still suspicious of his mother, and now absolutely perplexed by his brother.

***End Flashback***

Chi Chi thought back on Gohan's visit. Not only did it remind her of Goten's struggles right now but she also felt guilty knowing Gohan probably knew something was amiss, along with how betrayed he would be if he knew the whole story. Her son's devotion to her was unquestionable. He was almost like a husband in helping her while Goku was in Otherworld, and effectively served as his brother's father for the first seven years of his life. What was also unquestionable was his loyalty to his father. Gohan watched his father sleigh the worst kind of evil that the galaxy had to offer at a young age. He inherited valuable life lessons from Goku that he would never have learned in one of the books she gave him-a fact that was not lost on Gohan.

" _This is unacceptable. I need to rekindle my relationship with Goku, and I need to make it clear where I need him to be better-without sounding whiny. Because I really do need him. And our sons need us to be working well as a couple and as their parents."_

~ _To Be Continued_


	7. Fundamental Incompatibility

Disclaimer:

I do not own or profit from any Dragonball Z content or characters. The same applies to any popular songs referenced in the story, any publications, movies, or other cultural references. Any original characters not in the Dragonball Z universe are named at random, and not intended to mirror any living or dead individual.

The idea for this story belongs to Charismatic Beauty.

 **Chapter 7** : **Fundamental Incompatibility**

Chi Chi sat for hours in the den waiting for Goku to come home from his training. Instead of worrying about her shopping list, she simply sat there, sipping cup after cup of coffee. She was getting increasingly jittery about confronting Goku, mainly because of the coffee. There was no real reason for it. It wasn't as if she believed Goku would even think of harming her; but she had never felt a need to address their relationship in such a grave manner. That suggested something was wrong. Perhaps with her; but she didn't think so. Even while Goten was enduring his new daily regimen after a very serious incident, Goku still continued about his business-leaving her to fix the issue. When he was dead he had a reason for not being there. But now…it was incomprehensible. He was either neglectful of his family or actually thought his current course of action was what was best.

Chi Chi's leg was bobbing up and down nervously close to midnight as Goku (finally) walked into the house. It amazed Chi Chi how it seemed that he was going without a typical amount of Goku food during these days. He was training almost _literally_ all day.

"Hey, Chi. What are you doing up?" Goku asked tiredly.

"I could ask the same, Goku. Speaking of which, what have you been eating?"

"Just things in the wilderness. I realized I could maximize my training time without coming back to eat full meals. But speaking of that, I am hungry. Those nature fueled meals don't exactly hit the spot," Goku grinned at the end of his statement.

"There's food in the backup fridge if you want it, Goku. Go grab it and sit down," Chi Chi invited him.

Goku ate at warp speed. By the end he was grinning about his full stomach.

"Alright! That was awesome!"

Chi Chi continued to offer a dead stare at her husband. Now that he was full, she could speak to him while he was undistracted.

"Good. Now Goku, since I have your attention, I'd like to talk about a few things with you."

"Right now, Chi? It's already early morning."

"True, but I don't know when I'll catch you next with this new schedule of yours, and it's important."

Goku looked at Chi Chi with a now serious face.

"Okay then…" Goku replied with a demeanor reflecting his facial expression.

"Foremost, I truly _need_ you to help with Goten until his attitude adjusts from his current rebellious state. I know you've spoken with him and so on; but I actually need physical help watching over him. Obviously I can still provide his tasks for the day; but I do need help watching him-especially with the holiday season in full swing. There's a lot to be done…things I normally do, such that I can't always be here. I need you to take some time out of your training to watch him at certain points."

Goku nodded his head, "No problem, Chi. That's only fair, and something I can certainly do.

"Okay, good. I'll give you at least a day's notice when I'll be gone. But speaking of notices, if you're going to leave early to train before breakfast, can you at least leave a note saying as much so I don't cook food that won't be eaten? This has become a pretty consistent theme, and while it's not the biggest thing in the world, it would help."

Goku looked at his wife a little puzzled. He didn't understand what the big deal was; but this didn't seem like an unreasonable accommodation. He agreed to do that.

Finally Chi Chi looked at Goku with sad eyes.

"One last thing Goku. I was hoping to address the state of our relationship."

Goku cocked his head to the side with arched eyebrows not fully comprehending what Chi Chi was saying.

"What I mean is, we don't have any spark anymore, Goku. Sure, we by and large agree on things with our sons; but we never do anything together anymore just by ourselves. And not to sound like a hound, but we haven't made love in over a year."

Goku pensively thought about his wife's words. As he traced back time, he knew Chi Chi was accurate. Although, he never really thought much of it.

"Well, I suppose you're right Chi. And while this may upset you, I never really thought about it. My main concern when wake up every day is making sure I constantly improve. Every time things get crazy, I'm always the one who has to be the last line of defense, save the fight with Cell. I can't let up. And because of that I can't lose focus. When I need to do extra things beyond the day to day as a father, I set my work aside for that; but otherwise I frankly haven't thought about us…in the sense that there's something wrong. None of the points you mention matter to me Chi. Shouldn't it be pretty obvious at this point we both love each other?"

Chi Chi sat opposite the table with her eyes shut, mainly from fatigue; but also from frustration.

"That they don't matter to you isn't something where I really needed confirmation. And perhaps for you, Goku, the things I mentioned don't matter. But they do for me. Remember I age the way other humans do. I also have human emotions. I _need_ the reaffirmation that you not only love me, but also sometimes have an increased heartbeat when we're close together. You age at a very slow pace and also don't always think of extraneous things since your main biological makeup is so you focus on fighting. But I can't be in a relationship like this as it is now. I don't understand how you are as you are and yet I always hear how _busy_ Bulma and Vegeta are."

Goku chuckled at the last statement, "I think that's more of a Bulma and Vegeta thing. I don't think that's inherently innate in all Saiyans. There's a reason I've been a step ahead of him in strength and fighting ability for so long."

"Goku, I just can't keep going along this way. I may know you love me; but I feel unloved. I need to feel your touch every now and then, and I need to have time with you so we can just be ourselves together like we did when we were younger," Chi Chi stated exacerbated and defeated.

Goku sighed and spoke somberly, "Chi Chi…I just can't keep up with all of it."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't be a proper father, an ever loving husband, and someone who takes every pain staking measure to maximize the chances that he'll be able to protect the planet when the time comes. It's just too much. I've never really been able to do all of it at once. When I was in Otherworld I could train and spar all day. After Buu's defeat I got to spend a lot of time with the boys and you; but at the expense of my training. I slipped for a bit there. Lord Beerus' visit made that very clear to me. There are so many super powerful beings out there. Chances are at least a few of them have nefarious plans. I need to be ready to face them if they knock on our door."

"Goku! You don't always have to be the savior! How many times have we talked about this?!"

"Yes, I do. No one else has the ability, maybe with the exception of Gohan. But he'd rather spend his hours reading, teaching, and doing research. Of course, that's fine. He's probably even better at that than he is at fighting. But that means I'm the only one with the ability and will to do it. So, there's always something that has to give. I've used a lot of the time I do have with Goten, including prior to the recent incident, to raise him as my son the way I was able to with Gohan. Between those two, I'm maxed out. So no I guess it's been a long time since we did anything together; but one of the three balls has to drop. It's always been that way."

Chi Chi looked at Goku as her eyes began to well. Tears began streaming down her face rapidly as she started to sniffle.

Goku hung his head, realizing how much he just hurt his wife with his words.

He moved around the table and put his arm around her, "Come on Chi, don't cry. It's really late. Let's go to sleep and we can talk about this in the morning when our minds are working better."

Chi Chi grabbed his bicep with both of her hands and pushed his arm away while declaring with a tear filled voice, "My mind is working just fine."

Chi Chi stood up and walked up to the bedroom and plopped herself on their bed as she continued to shed tears. She ensured her back would be turned to Goku when he followed her. Goku walked in and resigned himself that there would be some serious turmoil upcoming as he laid down with his eyes facing the ceiling, which is where they stayed for hours.

***The Next Morning***

Chi Chi was woken by the buzz of her alarm. She looked next to her…no Goku.

She wanted to see if he remembered what they spoke of only some hours earlier. She searched high and low in their bedroom for a note. Nothing. She searched in the kitchen afterward. Also nothing. Since it seemed Goku was off early again, she was only going to prepare breakfast for herself and Goten.

As she finished cooking Goten came down from his room.

Though things still tense between her and her son, Chi Chi wished Goten "Good morning."

Goten muttered something through his grogginess in response.

She and Goten ate together alone again, without Goku. After she was done, she prepared Goten's lessons for the day, which she hadn't done the day prior as she usually did. When Goten finished eating she handed him his work.

Chi Chi thought internally about Goku not keeping his end of the deal, even for a day. Considering that, she really didn't see any issue going into the city without notifying him. She had very little time to complete her holiday shopping as it were, and even though her list wasn't complete, she was at a point where she'd have to wing it.

Goten retired back to his room to start working. Chi Chi showered and dressed herself up a little more than usual, hoping to fit in a bit more with the city crowd. She hopped in her car and left.

She thought about Goku's words the night before, about him not being able to manage everything. So then, what? She was supposed to pick up the slack, or just accept things as they were? If anyone had a gripe about not being able to balance things, it would be her. She constantly stretched herself to the brink to try and keep their family as normal as possible. She even trained Goten as a child, which of course Goku couldn't do because he stayed in Otherworld since he didn't want to be bothered with Earthly obligations. At least that's how it sounded to her the more thought she gave his words.

Historically, this kind of situation would enrage Chi Chi. But she didn't have any anger in her. She was incredibly sad. At one point on the way to West City she pulled over into a small town to clear her tears because they were clouding her vision while she was driving.

She finally managed to make her way to West City. She found parking in the shopping district much easier than the previous time she made the trip. She stepped out of her car with her paper list and pen in hand. The festive nature of the area was taxing her emotions, as if any time of the year could be so idyllic. Models of caroling families were shown in store fronts. Wreaths decorated the street lights. Holiday music could be heard coming out of every establishment.

Chi Chi slowly trotted along the sidewalk starting to forget where she was heading. She stopped in front of a small retailer displaying a model of a couple kissing under mistletoe. Tears once again crept into her eyes, though she was able to control them from spilling out. As flurries started to come down she could view her reflection in the store window. She had very visible dark circles under her eyes and her eyelids were pink and puffy.

" _Why are you doing this?_ " Chi Chi quietly asked out loud to herself while looking in the store front.

"Hey."

Chi Chi heard a familiar voice.

"Huh!" She turned around startled to see none other than Enzo.

"Sorry if I scared you," he pre-emptively apologized.

"Scare me? No," Chi Chi claimed attempting to work up her usual front.

"Just scaring myself, actually…" she awkwardly stated afterward.

"…I don't see how; but anyway, it's nice to see you out in the real world outside of a bakery, or in the mountains."

"You have an issue with people who live in the mountains?" Chi Chi asked somewhat playfully.

"No, no. Just trying to inject some humor."

"Well, it's nice to be here," she falsely remarked while turning her face away from Enzo.

"…You alright?" Enzo asked.

Chi Chi turned back toward him as the two started walking leisurely down the boulevard, "Hmm? Mmm Hmm."

"You look like maybe you have the holiday blues or something," Enzo commented.

Chi Chi just nodded her head 'no' as she turned back away from Enzo.

As they walked, Chi Chi noticed the advertisement for the lighting of the city tree that evening.

"You're not going to that thing tonight…the lighting of the tree?" she asked.

"No. Wouldn't be caught dead there. Talk about traffic and crowds."

"It's gonna be a hot time on the cold town tonight," Chi Chi uncharacteristically stated.

"You got kind of a…dark side, don't you?" Enzo asked.

"Mmm? What do you mean?"

"Listen, why don't you come over to my place later and we can watch the lighting on TV?"

"I…I can't. I have to…be somewhere tonight."

"Why don't we meet for an early dinner then? Say five? Let's say six."

Chi Chi had a wide grin as Enzo was stuttering for the right words. It also came from the personal satisfaction she derived from a man taking this kind of interest in her. Even when she didn't look her best.

Impulsively, Chi Chi replied, "Five."

"Okay, five. You and me, okay?" Enzo confirmed.

"By the way, I actually don't know your name. I don't think we swapped names really at all both at Bulma's or in my bakery."

Chi Chi continued to smile, "My name is Chi Chi."

Enzo flashed a grin. "Great, Chi Chi. Meet me at this place," he showed her the address on his phone as Chi Chi copied it down on her gift shopping list.

 _To Be Continued_


	8. Dinner and a Tree Lighting

Hi All,

Thank you again for the continued reviews and feedback. I'm happy a lot of readers are liking this one as it unfolds.

Thought I'd address some comments from the last post.

1: Goku wasn't necessarily saying he prefers training over everything else; but was explaining that he has a difficult time maintaining that with the pressures of being the planet's guardian while also taking care of his family life, or more accurately, his love life. The point I was trying to get across is that he basically takes his relationship with Chi Chi for granted, in that he doesn't really see a need for continued reinforcement of their affection—so he allows it to slide.

wingsofseyfert12: Congratulations on being the first one to at least explicitly pick up on the Godfather reference. I suppose Vegeta's overall level of concern might seem a bit OOC for him given his past; but as the series goes on it becomes undeniable that he deeply cares for Bulma and his children. You have a point that Chi Chi does kind of take the brunt of sacrifices Goku makes as Earth's protector. At least if he took Kami's place then the sacrifice would only fall on him. Your compromise is interesting; but then Goku would have to take a lot of time (by his standards) out of his training schedule. And I'm not sure he thinks Goten has the natural ability that Gohan does.

Charismatic Beauty: Hopefully I'm not depicting Goku as being terribly neglectful. My goal is to show him as being conflicted between his family and his obligations, and Chi Chi not being able to handle him always opting for the latter anymore.

LVR4Trunks-n-Vegeta: Kind of the same thing. It's not that Goku thinks that other things are necessarily unimportant; but that he honestly believes if he takes his foot off the gas then it could be lights out for the entire planet if trouble comes knocking.

Wthtonibelle: Thank you.

Disclaimer:

I do not own or profit from any Dragonball Z content or characters. The same applies to any popular songs referenced in the story, any publications, movies, or other cultural references. Any original characters not in the Dragonball Z universe are named at random, and not intended to mirror any living or dead individual.

The idea for this story belongs to Charismatic Beauty.

 **Chapter 8: Dinner and a Tree Lighting**

A/N: Things get real in this chapter.

Goku was completely drained from the first half of his day. He realized early on that he completely forgot some of the things he and Chi Chi discussed the night before. He felt terrible. He tried to bury his emotions, much feeling like Vegeta, by training until he dropped.

He decided he was going to test using the Kaioken attack while at Super Saiyan 3. He figured being able to have a surge of power in that form would be pretty handy. Of course, testing that on Earth would lead to a lot of destruction. Even though he was in the wilderness. He Instant Transmissioned to King Kai's planet, scaring Bubbles upon arrival.

"You know you could give a notice that you're coming," King Kai greeted.

"Hey King Kai. Sorry about that. I want to test something; but it will create too much damage on Earth."

"I see, so we'll just come over and potentially destroy my planet…for a second time."

"…Well, there is a lot less to destroy here."

"What are you trying to do anyway?"

"mmm…Kaioken as a Super Saiyan Three."

"ARE YOU CRAZY! You won't just destroy my planet and me, but yourself as well."

"You've said that every time I've tried pushing the limits of the Kaioken attack, and yet I'm still here."

"Why are you doing this Goku?"

"Because it might be useful in the future."

"I'm not going to talk you out of this am I?"

"Nope."

King Kai sighed, "Bubbles, Gregory, inside the house. He who has no brain is going to kill us."

When the three entered the house Goku powered up to level three, which had become pretty easy over time for him. He then concentrated his energy to elevate further. Wind started howling around the small planet. The few trees there snapped as Goku's body began to bulk up. King Kai's seemingly useless car went flying. Bricks started ripping off his house. King Kai was ducking for cover.

Goku's body was engulfed in a white light, followed shortly by a red, fire like aura. King Kai picked his head up to look. His jaw dropped. Goku took off at a speed King Kai couldn't follow. He flew around the planet quickly and landed a punch squarely onto the grass, cracking the ground and creating a tremendous quake on the planet with noise reverberating into the space surrounding it.

Goku held his position with his fist in the ground for a brief moment, and then immediately lost his red aura, along with his Super Saiyan form. He fell back to his base state and dropped to the ground in exhaustion. The attack took almost everything out of him.

King Kai ran over to ensure Goku was still breathing. He was, but very heavily.

"Satisfied?"

"Ye…yea," Goku weakly replied.

"At least you didn't wreck the planet. But tomorrow when you recover you're coming back here to replace the masonry that broke off my house. It's the least you can do."

Goku lightly chuckled and smiled.

"Use the rest of your energy to get back to Earth. You don't have much left."

Goku targeted Goten's energy and Instant Transmissioned back home, where he was still on his knees from exhaustion.

Sensing a very low power from his father Goten ran down to see what was happening.

"Dad! What's wrong?!"

"Nothing son. Just pushed things a little too hard in training."

"I'll get you some water."

Goten fetched Goku an entire pitcher of water, which Goku drank in almost one gulp. He was able to sit up now.

"What did you do?"

"Just tried something a little nuts. Kaioken attack as a Super Saiyan Three."

"Dad, you are nuts. Did you at least pull it off?"

"Yea, for a really short period; but it zapped me of almost all of my energy. Whatever I had left I used to get back from King Kai's planet."

"Oh, no wonder I didn't feel anything."

The two sat in silence for a period as Goten helped his father to the sofa so he could rest. As soon as Goku sat down his stomach grumbled.

Goku laughed, "I guess that was to be expected."

"Yea…hmm. Do you know where mom is? I haven't heard her pattering around the house like usual."

"Umm…no. Now that you mention it I can't sense her around here either."

Goten got up and looked outside, "The car's gone. Maybe she went into the city."

He walked over to the fridge and noticed his mother made lunch prior to leaving. Judging by the portion size it looked like it was only for one of them. If he had to guess, that person was probably him since she would want him well-nourished for his studies. Goten found it a bit curious and made a mental note of it.

"Hey dad, there's some food mom left in the fridge. I'll bring it over to the coffee table."

***In the City***

Chi Chi was in and out of stores, really making things up as she went along when buying gifts for people. Frankly, she didn't think the outcome was any worse than it would have been had she actually made a list.

As she made her way around, she was placing things back in her car in between stops at various shops and locking the vehicle. Given the amount of foot traffic, and that she was only four blocks from Capsule Corp, she assumed this would be a pretty theft-free area.

The light snow started to make the sidewalk lose traction as she walked. She mentally thanked herself for wearing flats after all. She also had a spring in her step-mostly because of Enzo, even though she didn't want to admit it to herself. As far as she knew, he just wanted to be friends…there was nothing mischievous about that-certainly nothing that should give her any reason for concern. But this was the first time she enjoyed being in an urban environment. The decorations, light snow, crisp air, and constant movement of other people gave her energy she hadn't felt since she was young. She was absolutely enamored with it as she cracked a smile looking at the large festive tree at the city-center.

***Back at Mount Paotz***

Goku ate and rested for a bit. Goten grabbed his work and did it next to his dad to keep him company.

"How's your work been going Goten?"

"I mean, okay. I'm making a decent amount of mistakes in math work. Mom has me doing calculus, which I wouldn't be doing for another three years in public school. She's been reasonable about it, telling me that mistakes are necessary before mastery. So I guess it's a process. I can't believe Gohan did these kinds of things for so many years."

"Well, your brother is a different kind of person. For example, both of us may find…these things boring, while your brother likes it enough to make it his job."

Goten didn't reply and just looked at his work, which he had almost completed.

" _Too bad Mom can't understand that,_ " he thought to himself.

Goku now started to think back to things with Chi Chi. His stomach started to sink again. He stood up.

"Hey Goten, I'm starting to feel a little bit better. I'm going to head over next door and say hi to Pan and Videl. If you're done with your work, you should come."

"Uh, yea I actually just finished. I'll head over with you."

"Cool," Goku noted without revealing his intention for the visit.

The two wandered over and were greeted by the now ambulatory Pan who outside with her mother in the garden.

"Grandpa!" Pan exclaimed as she jumped to hug her grandfather.

Goku, still rather fatigued was moved back a couple steps by the toddler's strength

"Hey Pan!," he exclaimed, managing to hide his emotions.

Before Goku could process his next thought Pan was off to her uncle, "Hi Uncle Goten!" Similar to Goku, Pan greeted Goten by jumping at him and waiting to be caught.

"How are you two?" Videl then greeted them in her usual loving voice.

"I figured we'd just come over for a bit to catch up. Chi Chi is out and about…probably in the city," Goku noted.

Videl noticed a suggestive look in Goku's eye that something was wrong. She made quick work and invited the two inside the house and started a kettle of tea. Things going according to what she hoped, Pan immediately started distracting Goten with roughhousing and some of her toys. She grinned at how much Goten truly seemed to enjoy spending time with his niece.

Goku sat down at the kitchen table with a discernable expression of pain.

"I didn't know Saiyans developed arthritis issues," Videl joked.

"I don't think we do. I went a little overboard today," Goku replied with a brief laugh.

As the kettle started bubbling in the background, Videl immediately addressed Goku, "I take it this visit has more to it than catching up, at least judging by the look in your eyes."

"You're pretty good Videl."

"Gohan has the same look when things aren't going well. So what's up?"

"Umm, Chi Chi and I are in a really bad spot," Goku now speaking in a whisper so his son and granddaughter couldn't hear in the other room.

"The reason I wanted to speak with you is because there are a lot of similarities between your relationship with Gohan and mine with Chi Chi; but I also get the sense that…

The tea kettle started whistling in the middle of Goku's sentence.

"Hold that thought Goku. You don't take milk or sugar, right?"

"…No."

Videl returned with two cups. She wanted to wait until after she and Goku were done talking before offering any to Goten since Pan was currently providing a great distraction.

"So you get the sense that…"

"That you're the primary reason your relationship works. Gohan never seems to have the time for it."

"Before I answer that either way, what exactly is the deal with you and Chi Chi? The night of Bulma's gala, Gohan was paranoid about you two. Specifically that Chi Chi danced with another man. I told him he was being ridiculous. Are you suggesting he was right?

"Uh, well, I didn't know about that, or that Chi Chi danced with someone…that doesn't really concern me. But we just haven't been able to get on the same page recently. I've been training a ton, more or less as usual, and now with the things that happened with Goten and him now staying at home, I guess a lot of the burden has fallen on her. Not to mention that she is really upset about the fact that we never do anything together anymore, or seem to have much in common outside of our sons…"

"I think you just answered your own problem Goku."

"But there's more. She tried to have a talk with me and asked me to do a few basic things to make things around the house a bit easier, like leave her a note if I was going to leave the house early to train. But then I forgot that. Even something that simple. She also continued to lament the fact that we really don't have much of a relationship at this point. I told her that I really couldn't balance everything. It's too hard for me to be a good father and husband, and then also keep up my training schedule. Something has to give there."

"I'm going to get another cup," Videl interpreted, noticing Goku hadn't taken a sip.

"So you were saying you think you and Chi Chi have a relationship similar to that of mine and Gohan's?"

"Yes. If you accept my training as work, the way Gohan's job is work, we both have a really hard time balancing things at home. That's why I said it seems like you're the reason for why your relationship works. I guess my question is, how do you two manage?"

"Before I explain that, one more thing. Why _do_ you train so much?"

"Do I have a choice? Whenever something goes wrong, it always falls back on me-especially since Gohan doesn't fight anymore. If he did, he'd be a lot stronger than I am. And no offense to Vegeta, but he's not in my league. By any absolute standard, he's insanely powerful; but often he gets defeated where I need to step in. _And to be honest, Goten just wasn't born with the natural and raw power Gohan was_."

Videl put her cup down and rubbed her temples, "Okay, to finally answer your overall question, Gohan and I work because we _both_ work really hard at it. We have to. Otherwise it wouldn't work. Yes, Gohan is rarely at home. So a lot of raising our daughter falls on me. But he doesn't ignore the obligation. When he's at home, he spends a lot of time with Pan. I know you do that as well with Goten. He also calls her from his work when he can…or more specifically calls me and then I put her on the phone. As far as we're concerned, Gohan will often come home with surprises. Even when it's late at night, he comes home with flowers or some kind of jewelry. And a lot of times, if it's not too late, he takes me out-even though he has to get up early the next day. He can do that because he's half-Saiyan. Ergo, you could ostensibly do that same sort of thing without collapsing."

Goku put his head down, almost in shame. The answer was fairly obvious and straightforward, and yet he could never think to do something like that.

"And I have to work at it too. We've both accepted that at least for now, his work schedule is a given. We can't change it. So I try to make sure he has a welcoming home to greet him. I make sure Pan is there to see him if she's not sleeping yet. Sometimes I message him at night. Sometimes I setup a bath with candles and bath salts and I join him…"

"Whoa, okay. I got the picture."

"…Yea sorry for planting that image of your son in your head. Anyway, point is this: we both work at it. We both know we have to work at it. And just because Chi Chi is a bit older now doesn't mean that you two shouldn't be doing similar things."

"…Okay. Thanks a lot Videl. That makes a lot of sense. Though in most cases it's usually the younger generation asking the older one these things; but thank you nonetheless."

Videl shrugged her shoulders, "Every relationship is different. By the way, I think it's only fair that I tell Gohan about this conversation. It may put him at ease at least knowing what's going on."

"Yea, sure. I agree," Goku rose from his chair, still in pain.

"You're welcome to stick around if you want and relax," Videl offered.

"Thanks, Videl; but I think I'm going to head home and try to relax there. If you don't mind having Goten, he's done with his work for today; so he can stay as long as he wants as far as I'm concerned. I don't think Chi Chi will mind either."

"Of course. I wouldn't disrupt the fun he and Pan are having."

Goku nodded to Videl and left for home. At home, he sat down and tried to let his body heal.

***Later, In the City***

Chi Chi walked through the city and managed to find the address Enzo gave her earlier.

She looked up to see the name of the place, "Limbretto's."

" _Of course, Italian,_ " she thought to herself.

She looked around and didn't see Enzo. She was ten minutes late so she figured he'd be there by now. For the first time, she used his number and texted him, asking if he had arrived. She stood outside and waited for a reply.

After a few minutes, Chi Chi received a reply, " _Held up at work a bit. Be there in 15. Go on in and grab a table. Should be fine. I know the owner._ "

Chi Chi walked in based on Enzo's reply.

She acknowledged the hostess,

"Hello ma'am, how many?"

"Two."

"I assume you're waiting on the other?"

"Yes."

"Okay, do you have a reservation?"

"I don't know. Maybe under Enzo."

As soon as Chi Chi said his name the hostess perked up further.

"Right this way Ms."

Chi was brought into a private room with only a few other tables. The room had similar decorations of Enzo's bakery, along with items from Italy's most recent World Cup team and a chronological tale of the Roman Empire. She was the only one there and was fascinated by the surroundings. She took them all in and without realizing the passing of time.

"Chi Chi?" the server asked her.

"How do you know my name?" Chi Chi asked.

"I was told in advance. Would you like something to drink while you wait?"

Despite being a little creeped by the server knowing her name, Chi Chi continued to play along, assuming Enzo would pick up the bill-if only because he struck her as being at least somewhat traditional.

"Okay, gin and tonic please," Chi Chi asked.

"Very well Ms."

Chi Chi knew of Bulma pulling strings like this; but she had never really met anyone else who had the ability.

Shortly after, Chi Chi was interrupted again.

"Hi Chi Chi. Hope you're enjoying the décor."

"Yes, it's very…interesting," Chi Chi replied earnestly.

Chi Chi turned her head and realized it was Enzo.

"Oh!" Chi Chi exclaimed and proceeded to engage Enzo in a 'platonic' hug.

"Sorry about my being late. We were really busy toward the end of the day; so cleanup was pushed back. Anyway, I'm glad I got to see you. Have a seat."

Chi Chi sat down with her drink. It seemed Enzo was rather serious. He did know the owner, based on everything that transpired.

"So how do you know the owner?" Chi Chi asked.

"We're childhood friends. Whether it's for the better or not, children of ethnic groups tend to stick together."

"Interesting. You have some connections," Chi Chi remarked with a smirk.

"Only if the person is Italian, or Bulma Briefs," Enzo replied with a chuckle.

"Enzo can I interest you in a drink?" the server asked.

"Get me a Peroni, Francesca."

"Certainly, Enzo."

"What's Peroni?" Chi Chi asked innocently.

"It's just a well-known Italian type of beer. It's like Budweiser or Molson in North America. You don't strike me as a gin and tonic person, by the way."

"It serves its purpose," Chi Chi replied with the same grin she had since Enzo asked her to dinner earlier.

"So what happened at work?" Chi Chi asked

"Nothing terribly unusual. Sometimes we get a slew of customers toward the end of the day, which delays clean-up. The bakery is still open though. I told everyone I had an engagement. All the people working there would have teased me to no end if I told them I was meeting a woman for dinner."

"Why?"

"Well, the older generation thinks marriage should happen at a younger age-certainly younger than my age. As far as they're concerned, I'm an old stallion. Even if the rest of the world thinks differently."

" _So this is a date..._ " Chi Chi thought.

"You're work schedule seems hectic. Have you had much time for your personal life? I can see where finding someone you want to marry of all things would be difficult." Chi Chi asked, simultaneously thinking of Goku.

"Well, no. I guess I've technically had time; but I've always been really invested in continuing my father's and grandfather's work. So I've haven't give much time to personal life."

Strangely, this man was somewhat like Goku. Committed to his work. And, naturally, she was attracted to him.

"So how about you? What do you do? I imagine you have a family given your shopping patterns," Enzo noted.

Without hesitation, Chi Chi responded, "Yes, I have a younger son who still lives with me, and I have an older son who is married but lives next door to me."

"Oh, that's great. The children living next door thing is really old fashioned. I firmly believe family is the most important part of life. We'd be all alone otherwise," Enzo noted.

Chi Chi's stomach sank.

"So are you separated from your sons' father then? I just ask because I've never seen you with a man, including at Bulma's gala. I apologize if I'm wandering into a touchy subject. We don't have to discuss if you don't want."

Chi Chi gulped on her drink. She thought quickly for what she thought was the right answer, "No, it's okay. My husband passed away," Of course, that would have been true multiple years ago, and in many ways, may as well be true.

Though Chi Chi was overtly dishonest, she didn't care. She liked spending time with Enzo. And at this point, she was tired of Goku's inability to be at least a half-way decent husband.

"You continue to wear your wedding ring in his commemoration then," Enzo noted.

"Umm…yes,"

As Chi Chi finished her reply, the tree lit up. She and Enzo had a great view through the window from where they were sitting.

" _This is incredible. It's like everything is setup for me to fall for this man,_ " Chi Chi thought to herself.

"I guess we got to see it after all," Enzo remarked with a smile.

After a couple seconds, it occurred to Chi Chi, "You planned for this to happen."

Enzo did not say anything and gave a coy grin that would make Bulma proud.

Chi Chi and Enzo continued to chat for hours. Chi Chi continued knocking back gin and tonics, with the occasional glass of red wine with dinner. The server didn't cut her off since she was with Enzo. After four hours of conversation (some of it drunken) on life, family, values, and childhoods, Chi Chi noticed several missed phone calls and texts from Goten, Gohan, and Videl asking her where she was. Wondering what Goku was up to, it occurred to her that he really doesn't use phones. She immediately panicked realizing that she lost track of time. She immediately got up from her chair.

"Excuse me, I have to make a phone call," Chi Chi told Enzo with a drunken haze in her eye.

Chi Chi stepped outside and called Goten back on his mobile.

"Mom! Where the hell are you? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine honey. I'm in the city. I was doing holiday shopping and I suppose I lost track of time."

"Thank God. We've all been going crazy! Even Dad couldn't pick up your energy signal because it was so muddled with tons of other people."

"Well, I'm okay. Ah, look, can you hold on for a second?"

Chi Chi realized she had to go home. She put her phone on mute and returned to Enzo. Of course, she had a great time; but this was more than she planned.

"Enzo, I think I have to go. My sons and my daughter-in-law are very concerned about me. I'm not usually out this late."

"Oh okay. Sure. We have been here for a long-time. Why don't you go along, I'll pick up the bill," Enzo offered as Chi Chi expected.

"At least let me contribute," Chi Chi protested.

"It's no big deal. Like I said, I know the owner. They give me discount prices. Don't worry about it."

"Okay then. Thank you very much. Have a good night," Chi Chi parted as she touched Enzo's shoulder.

She then quickly walked outside and away from the restaurant and unmuted her phone to proceed speaking with Goten.

"Goten? Yea, listen I had to settle a tab. Um, I've had a few drinks and I really can't drive."

"Um, okay," Goten surprised by his mother's uncharacteristic behavior.

In the background Chi Chi heard Goten yell, " _Hey Dad, can you go get Mom?"_

"Hey Mom, where are you?"

"About three blocks from Capsule Corp."

Within seconds Goku found her with Instant Transmission and brought her home.

Chi Chi was met with everyone at her house, including Gohan, Videl, and Pan.

"Hi everyone. I'm sorry about the scare. Kind of just got lost in the shuffle."

Goten quickly motioned to hug his mother, grateful that she was okay. There was a level of emotion between the two that had resurfaced since disappearing after the incident at the gala. Videl and Goku also surrounded her.

Gohan kept some distance and viewed his mother with a contemplative and suspicious facial expression. Lost in the shuffle? His mother never made those kinds of errors. Not to mention 'accidentally' having too many drinks before potentially driving.

As everyone parted, Chi Chi moved into the kitchen. Gohan noticed that she pulled out her phone.

Chi Chi read a text from Enzo, " _You didn't drive home, did you? You definitely aren't fit to be behind a wheel right now."_

Chi Chi quickly replied with another lie to cover her lie about Goku, " _No, no. I asked one of Bulma's pilots to fly me home. I would never take that risk. But thank you for your concern._ "

Chi Chi moved back into the living area with everyone else. Gohan still hadn't said a word to her as his eyes stayed locked on his mother.


	9. The Queen Returns

Hi Everyone. I know it's been awhile since I last updated; but hope you enjoy. My updates on this story should be more timely and consistent from here until the story's end.

Disclaimer:

I do not own or profit from any Dragonball Z content or characters. The same applies to any popular songs referenced in the story, any publications, movies, or other cultural references. Any original characters not in the Dragonball Z universe are named at random, and not intended to mirror any living or dead individual.

The idea for this story belongs to Charismatic Beauty.

 **Chapter 9: The Queen Returns**

A/N: This chapter approaches lime; but I'm not sure if it actually gets to that point.

Bulma arrived back in West City late the previous night. Aside from her happiness about finally returning home, she was absolutely manic about how great she felt. Her body and mind were both back to full strength, and she felt no need to rely on any kind of crutch. Her body weight was back to normal after being somewhat emaciated for several months, her skin had nice color, and she was actually considering coloring her hair again to hide her gray.

She looked out at the city skyline from her executive office in her blazer and skirt suit. Bulma was back. A wealthy billionaire looking out over the city she ran as it was decked out for the holidays.

This had her thinking, " _What exactly are our plans? It's a week away, and I doubt Vegeta made any plans. Moreover, what are the company's plans for a party?"_

Regardless, she had plenty of work to catch up on. As she knocked back half a mug of coffee she rapidly started muddling through emails, memos, and reports that her father never got to while she was gone. By the end of the regular business day, her world class intellect allowed her to be almost caught up with the happenings of her company-and that was with three meetings with other C-level executives interrupting her. Shifting her attention now to a more trivial matter regarding the company's holiday plans, she phoned the company's HR director.

"Hello?" the director answered with confusion, as it had not been formally announced that Bulma returned from her 'extended business trip;' so she hadn't received a call from the executive office in a while.

"Hey Laura, it's Bulma," Bulma greeted with some noticeable fatigue in her voice.

"Bulma! I didn't know you were back!'

"Yea, we're going to inform everyone tomorrow. We kept it quiet today for the most part so I could catch up on things that have happened while I was gone."

"Oh okay. What exactly were you doing while you were away? All anyone was told was that it was extended business."

"Right, well there are some confidential parts; but I'll give the gist of things later when I can communicate them to a large audience," Bulma replied vaguely, not knowing what kinds of excuses her father and Vegeta may have made to members of the company or their friends.

"I see. Well thanks for the notice that you're back!"

"Ah sure, of course. Listen, I wanted to ask you if there was anything on the calendar for a company holiday party."

"Umm, no actually. I'm surprised. We have one every year."

"Hmm, figures enough. Well, I'm going to try and get one ready on short notice. Maybe for Thursday or Friday. Friday might not work since people probably have other personal parties to attend. Either way, can you send out a survey poll to everyone asking whether they prefer Thursday or Friday? Request that they respond within 24 hours. Reponses after that time will not be counted."

"Will do Bulma. I'll do that now. Anything else you need help with on this?"

"No, I'll take care of the rest. Thanks."

Bulma placed the phone back on its cradle. She forgot how efficient she could be. With that, she had to get her main man on the circuit-Enzo. His personal number was on her cell, so she just called on that.

She lit a cigarette and opened a window with the frigid air entering her office and the dial tone continued.

"Hey Bulma," Enzo answered.

"Yo yo. What's up? Is this a good time?"

"Yea yea, I'm just shopping right now. What's goin?"

"Well apparently we have no company holiday party planned and I'd like to plan one, albeit on rather short notice."

"Okay. When are you having it?"

"Either Thursday or Friday."

"Whoa! That is short notice. Mmm, I guess we can pull it off. This is just for members of the company, right? As in you're not inviting every socialite in West City?"

"Yep, that's right."

"Okay, yea we can do that. I'll give the word for everyone to start prepping now. Please let me know the actual day as soon as you know."

"Yep, I'll know by about this time tomorrow."

"Good…How have you been otherwise?"

"You know, around." Bulma provided a non-answer realizing that he probably would not be aware of her absence. Fortunately, he bit on her response.

"Gotcha. Say, you have time for a quick question?"

"I guess so. What is it?"

"What's the deal with your friend Chi Chi? I met her at your masquerade ball."

Bulma knew what he was asking; but liked the prospect of teasing him to be explicit, "What do you mean 'what's the deal?'" she asked while taking a drag of her cigarette.

"…What type of person is she?" Enzo's discomfort was clear in his voice.

That was enough for Bulma to blab, "Oh, well she's a little younger than me…pretty old-fashioned in most respects. Strict with her kids-even her oldest son who is married himself with his own kid, making her a pretty young grandmother. Has never really paid a great deal of attention to her appearance compared to most women; but that doesn't really matter since her natural beauty is quite notable…but you didn't hear that last part from me. I'd never hear the end of it. Outside of that, pretty worldly about things and could kick your and most other men's asses in a fight. She's a former martial artist and is still strong as an ox."

"Wow…that's…a lot."

"Sure, I guess," Bulma knew what he was getting at; but she had to go. There was still work to be done before the day was out.

"Anyway, okay. Thanks B. Let me know the day as soon as you do and I'll have the place preparing."

"Thanks, Enzo. We'll pay you a premium for the short notice. We can talk details later, okay?"

"Sure. Talk to you soon."

Bulma ended the call and thought about how Enzo needed to get out more. Certainly a solid guy most women would want if they knew about him. But the only time he found a woman he was attracted to was at her events, which were by and large the only social things he ever did. And every woman he liked was either completely incompatible with him, or in this case, not single.

***Enzo***

On the other end of the line, Enzo was struck by a thunder bolt. Based on Bulma's description, Chi Chi sounded _exactly_ like the type of woman with whom he would be able to have a relationship. If she's old-fashioned, then she would understand his long working hours. And based on her strength, she seems independent in her own right. Moreover, certainly unlike Bulma, it did not sound like she was vein in any real way. She seemed like a more modern version of the older generation women in his family.

He couldn't contain himself. Since Bulma's party would be later that week, he couldn't do anything then; but he figured there'd be no harm in asking her if she were available on Saturday, which is what he did.

Enzo typed her a text, _"Are you available to meet on Saturday? Either afternoon or evening?"_

'SEND'

***Nighttime at the Capsule Corp Living Quarters***

Bulma was at least somewhat caught up with her work life. Because of how late she arrived the previous evening, she still had to catch up with her family. Naturally, her first concern was what was happening with Trunks.

The gravity room was empty so it seemed like Vegeta was getting ready for bed. Bulma made her way to their bedroom as Bulla wandered into the hallway. Given the time, she really should've been sleeping.

"Hi Mommy!" her young daughter screeched with her still squealing voice.

Bulma had seen her briefly earlier this morning, but that was all since she was sleeping when Bulma arrived the night before.

"Hi baby. What are you doing awake? It's past your bedtime," Bulma spoke to her daughter with a soft, motherly voice.

"I know, but I didn't get to see you for long enough today."

Bulma felt sympathy for her youngest, and offered to take her into her room.

"I'm going to see daddy right now. Do you want to come with me?"

Bulla responded with wide and bright eyes.

Bulma carried her daughter to her room. Since she assumed Vegeta was in the room, and didn't want Bulla seeing her father nude, she had to make sure the coast was clear. Bulma cracked the door slightly and peaked her head in. She could see Vegeta's clothes; but not him.

"Vegeta?!"

"What?!"

"Are you decent?"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Do you have clothes on?"

"What difference does it make?!"

"I have Bulla with me."

Thankfully Bulla's youth made her oblivious to the situation and potential innuendos.

"Yes, I'm wearing clothes," Vegeta finally responded.

Bulma walked in and sat down on the bed while placing Bulla down. She removed her heels and let out a sigh of relief from foot pain. She hadn't been subjected to wearing heels in over a week. She removed her blazer and her black suit skirt, put shorts on and rested with her head up and Bulla on her lap.

Vegeta finally walked into the room and sat on the other side of the bed.

"Daddy!" Bulla jumped from Bulma's lap to Vegeta's chest.

Vegeta noted how much force she had when jumping toward him. He internally pondered (again) why she should not undergo training the way Trunks did as a boy. At least she'd learn to control her power when dealing with humans.

"Vegeta, I want to go over somethings with you…a bit later," Bulma motioned with her head to their daughter, successfully sending Vegeta the message that 'later' meant when she fell asleep.

It didn't take long for Bulla to fall asleep on top of Vegeta's chest, at which point he brought her back to her room. When he returned, he found Bulma asleep. He proceeded to wake her.

"Did you not want to discuss something?"

As Bulma regained coherence she replied, "Oh, yes. I wanted to ask you what's going on with Trunks. I know his terms of punishment; but how is he reacting?"

"Fine. He's done as he's been told. He complains sometimes about having to train every day; but that's a trait he gets from you."

Bulma looked at him with a deadpan face.

"Alternatively, your father explained that his performance in school has improved from where it was. While he was doing fine before, he's performing to his potential now. He's currently awake, likely doing work based on his energy."

"Okay. Well that's good to know. And the timetable for this amount of structure is…what again?"

"Until the end of this upcoming summer."

"Fine. Seems reasonable enough. But it has to end there. He can't go through his whole adolescence without some ability to make choices for himself. He won't learn any life skills," Bulma stated as she yawned.

"I'm going to go check on him quickly before I fall asleep," Bulma noted as she got up and left the room.

"Trunks?" Bulma inquired quietly while opening his bedroom door.

"How are you feeling?" Trunks asked.

"Really tired. It'll take me a bit to get back into things; but I feel great otherwise. I haven't felt this vital for a few years."

"Wow, well that's really good to hear."

"Your father told me you're doing really well in school recently," Bulma stated while viewing Trunks with his face buried in a textbook.

"Yea, well the only options I have for activity are school work and training; so naturally I'm putting more time in."

"I know your father's punishment is harsh but he did this because he was scared about what could happen with you in the future. But I still feel horrible because I can't help but think I'm the reason you're receiving punishment in the first place."

Trunks looked at his mother, and while he did partially blame her internally, he felt compelled to say something to ease her guilt.

"Mom, look, at that point Goten and I probably would have found a way to get our hands on something, whether it was readily available or not. We were trying to have fun with chicks. That's pretty much it."

Bulma felt the allure of sleep begin to overtake her.

"Well, alright. But if you feel the need to talk about this some more, you can always approach me. For now though, I need to go to sleep."

She kissed her son goodnight on his forehead and finally made her way off to bed.

As she laid back down, she remembered their own holiday plans.

"Vegeta, we didn't make any holiday plans did we?"

"No. Who cares?"

"Ugh. I guess I have some phone calls to make," Bulma replied as she dosed off.

***Same Time, at Mount Paotz***

"I told you there was something weird going on." Gohan noted to Videl as they finally managed to put Pan to bed and started to lay down themselves.

"I mean, how weird was that whole thing last night with my mother kind of disappearing, and then getting in late, claiming to lose track of time. She DOESN'T do those things or make such mistakes."

"Not to mention she definitely was drinking. She had enough of a slur that made it obvious," Videl added.

"Also something she doesn't do-even at home in private."

"Yea, the weird thing that pieced it together was your dad coming to talk to me about his relationship issues with your mom. That, plus what you said after the gala, plus her being late getting home last night…it seems like too much to be a coincidence," Videl remarked.

Gohan rubbed his eyes, and started to think, "Look, the probability of all these things being interdependent would be…umm"

"Gohan, stop. One, you should stop thinking right now. You do enough of that. Two, you can't assign probabilities to individual events like this without context. In this case, there is none. No sense in trying to slap a number to this that would effectively be bullshit anyway. I'm getting you a drink."

"Videl, I'm tired enough. I don't need a drink."

"You're tired, but you're restless and your mind is racing. You might need to consider seeing a doctor for anxiety. But for now, drink this," Videl handed him two shots of bourbon with ice.

***Same Time, at the (original) Son Residence***

Goku had thought since yesterday about what Videl told him. About what kind of things she and Gohan did to keep their relationship strong.

While Goku understood all of this, he was never good at implementing them-ever. But he did not train at all today. He had to do something that would help their relationship turn a corner. At the very least he could be around the house and would spend some kind of time with Chi Chi. Granted, since he was around, she mainly asked him for help with housework, which at this point he was okay with given the circumstances.

But Goku didn't have money for flowers or jewelry, or even to take Chi Chi out. All they could do is go somewhere and walk around. But that could be weird since they may not have a lot to talk about these days.

Goku continued to think about it and finally thought of something. He recalled Videl mentioning something about baths. And along with them candles and…'bath' salts. The problem was that Goku didn't know what bath salts were, or if they even had them in the house. He could ask Chi Chi, but then that would ruin any surprise element. And he was pretty sure Goten wouldn't know either.

Then he thought of it. He could ask Chi Chi while telling her he's preparing a bath because he's really sore from his training the other day on King Kai's planet, which actually was true.

Goku proceeded to find his wife and asked her if they had any bath salts.

"Yes, we have bath salts. Why?"

"Well I pushed myself too hard the other day on King Kai's planet and my body is really sore."

"Okay, but since when do you know about bath salts helping soreness?"

Goku had to think quickly. "Uhhh, Vegeta told me about them."

"Vegeta uses bath salts?" Chi Chi asked incredulously.

"Guess so," Goku replied with his usual coy grin.

"Yea, okay," Chi Chi responded in a beleaguered voice.

" _Be nice if he asked me to join him,_ " she thought.

Goku started running the water and adding bath salts. As Chi Chi sat back down reading Goku quickly grabbed all kinds of candles from all over the house without her noticing. He placed them around the tub area and used very small amounts of his energy to light them.

Chi Chi was growing fatigued from reading and went to check her phone. She noticed that she had a couple texts waiting. One was from Bulma and read " _I'm back! Let me know when you're around so we can have some girl talk!_ "

That was certainly news. She received no other indication about Bulma's return to West City. At the moment at least, she really wasn't in the mood for Bulma's 'girl talk.' Sometimes it covered important things like marriage and child-rearing, though it more often ventured into how much smarter she was than men, and really everyone else, sex stories with Vegeta (which usually took Chi Chi a couple days to get out of her head), and how gorgeous she was. Not to mention she still felt compelled to lay into Bulma for serving as a negative influence on her son.

The other text was from _Enzo_ , asking her about Saturday plans. She quickly thought about it but really didn't see the harm. Even last time it wasn't as if anything happened. She hugged him, they drank, they ate, and that was it. Chi Chi wrote in reply to his text, " _Sure, Saturday afternoon?_ "

She figured afternoon was safer considering she got home fairly late last time. And the afternoon would give her the excuse of running errands.

'SEND'

No sooner had Chi Chi sent the message did she hear Goku asking her to come upstairs 'for a second.'

"Since I'm doing this anyway, why don't you join me?" Goku asked, trying to maintain his typical innocent look.

Chi Chi _blushed_. She hadn't been nude with Goku for such a period that she was actually almost uncomfortable. It took her better reasoning to realize this was with her husband of over twenty years (give or take years when he was 'dead').

"Sure, okay. Just give me a minute," Chi Chi stated with a hint of shyness.

Goku removed his garments and slipped in. All things aside, it did feel good on his aching muscles.

Chi Chi couldn't believe it. This was the first thing of really anything beyond the mundane they would do together in a very long time. She noticed how conspicuous it was that Goku didn't train that day. That he wanted to take a bath like this to relax his body made enough sense if what he said was true about taking his training too far.

But the fact that he actually asked that she join him was a radical departure from what had been occurring for a long time.

Chi Chi continued pondering this as she decided to spice things up a bit with lingerie and a black satin robe.

She walked into the tub area, shut the door, and removed her garments for Goku's viewing pleasure. She then shut the lights and let the candles illuminate the room. She thought about whether Goten was still awake or not; but ultimately that seemed inconsequential since it was out in the open that Goten had experience with sexuality.

She stepped in and rested back so she was leaning on Goku's chest. She could feel Goku's arousal on her lower back. Goku wrapped her shoulders in his arms and gently kissed her temple. He then started washing her upper body, including her breasts. Now Chi Chi could feel herself aroused.

It was then that she remembered she agreed to meet Enzo again. Now she truly felt bad as it seemed like Goku was making some kind of effort to modify his behavior. Whether this was deliberate or just a fluke of Goku's training and him being friendly was hard for her to say, and rather immaterial at that. Granted, as she thought earlier, she's never done anything with Enzo that she wouldn't do with a friend. But she did feel some attraction to him. Of course, tonight was a reminder of what she had right at home.

Goku could let his instincts go to work for the physical part, but he was also hoping that he and Chi Chi would have some sort of meaningful conversation. That was the hard part. As he continued washing Chi Chi he tried to think of anything out of the ordinary she had been doing recently. He could talk to her about Goten, but they did that already.

" _Hmm…she's been into the city a couple times for gift shopping,_ " he finally thought.

"How have your trips into the city for holiday shopping been?" Goku asked.

His question snapped Chi Chi out of her state of confusion about everything. But, of course, bringing up the city also brings up Enzo. Even still there were a lot of other elements to her trips that she could discuss.

"They've been tiring. It's kind of a long drive. And naturally the city can be really hectic with so many people and cars all over the place. Parking is a pain in the ass."

"I can imagine," Goku agreed

"But Goku, there's something magical about it this time of year. All of the decorations are out and people are racing around. It can be overwhelming but you kind of feed off the energy. Oh, and I was there when they did the tree lighting…it was amazing. I felt like a little girl again."

Goku mildly chuckled, "It's good you've had a chance to experience that and enjoy it."

Goku was sincere in his statement. He was starting to believe that part of Chi Chi's current unhappiness was a result of being trapped in a boring daily routine.

"Absolutely. It makes the other difficulties very worth it," Chi Chi replied.

"So what happened in your training that has you so down and out?" Chi Chi finally asked.

"Oh, I was trying to do something to amplify my power to a really high level. I could maintain it for a few seconds, but it took a huge toll on me. Like I was saying, I'm still pretty sore from it. Earlier yesterday I had a bit of a tough time moving. But it ultimately gave me an excuse to ask you to join me," Goku ended with a grin.

This answered her question about whether this was a deliberate action. That it was made her feel elated. Chi Chi stretched her somewhat stiff body and whispered, " _You can ask me whenever you want. Excuse or no excuse._ "

She turned around and began to message Goku's muscles as their lips met for the most passionate kiss they shared in years.


	10. A Day of Reckoning

Hi Everyone. I'm well aware that it's been about 3,263 years since I've updated. I'm going to grant myself a mulligan this time since I relocated…from one country to another. But I'm almost settled now, which is good news for this story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Keep in mind that Enzo does NOT know Chi Chi is married. That seemed to be a point of misunderstanding in the last chapter.

Disclaimer:

I do not own or profit from any Dragonball Z content or characters. The same applies to any popular songs referenced in the story, any publications, movies, or other cultural references. Any original characters not in the Dragonball Z universe are named at random, and not intended to mirror any living or dead individual.

The idea for this story belongs to Charismatic Beauty.

 **Chapter 10: A Day of Reckoning**

Author's Warning: Chapter contains lemon.

The following Saturday, Chi Chi headed out to West City on the basis of having last minute holiday items to finish. Of course, she had afternoon plans with Enzo.

She left early and told Bulma to expect her. Outside of wanting to see her, she had some choice words prepared, effectively pinning blame on her for what happened with Goten.

Chi Chi arrived at Capsule Corp's living quarters and knocked. Bulma's mother answered. Chi Chi wondered how the woman maintained such a youthful appearance after such time. She looked younger than Bulma at this point.

"Chi Chi! How are you dear?!"

"Hello Mrs. Briefs. I'm okay. How have you been?"

"Well wonderful now since Bulma is back! Come in. I'll make some tea. Bulma is in the office area."

Chi Chi meandered through the maze of a house. She had been there enough times to know her way around; but it was still easy enough to get lost.

Meanwhile, in the den, which was used as an office during off-hours, Bulma was busy pecking away on her laptop trying to catch up on emails she missed during her time away. She was going like a bat out of hell; but was still barely making a dent, as new messages kept flooding the inbox of the brilliant heiress.

Despite seeing it before, Chi Chi couldn't help but be mesmerized by the den's décor. Greco-Roman columns dotted the corners, with cherry wood bookshelves and cabinets. Bulma's attention was interrupted as Chi Chi eventually knocked on the side wall of the open door. Upon glancing up and seeing her friend, Bulma screeched.

"AHHHHH!," she exclaimed while running over to hug Chi Chi.

Chi Chi warmly reciprocated her hug while closing her eyes, happy to see her fellow Saiyan matriarch vibrant and well again.

"How are you feeling?" Chi Chi asked as the two began to sit down.

"I feel fantastic! Really! It's like the clock has been turned back five years."

"You dyed your hair again," Chi Chi observed.

"Yep, not everyone can maintain their color through grandparenthood," Bulma glibly remarked, referencing Chi Chi's still healthy brunette (and natural) color.

"Well, given the pace of your work you definitely seemed revitalized."

"I am. Outside of the mess I helped create beforehand, I couldn't ask for much more to be going well."

"Right, there is that. I actually wanted to talk to you about it," Chi Chi's tone suddenly changed.

Bulma looked up saucer-eyed, knowing what Chi Chi's tone suggested. She was pissed.

"Okay," Bulma tepidly prompted.

"Your actions influenced my son, and yours, to partake in extremely reckless activities that night. This is not a light matter, as I'm sure you're aware. Using the substance is one thing. Unprotected sexual activity is another. I'm not solely blaming you. I've reflected on my own self as a parent, and how Goten would even consider being involved with such escapades. I'm very much responsible for raising him with too much leniency. Gohan would never even have considered doing such things."

"Mmm…to be fair, Gohan was a rather unique child," Bulma said, effectively parroting Goku's sentiments.

She continued, "Part of it was likely how you raised him; but it's not fair to yourself to think you were too lenient with Goten. What's lenient to you is very strict to most," Bulma interrupted.

"That may be. But nonetheless, I still view a lot of this as my responsibility. With that said, it's yours too. Trunks picked up on your behavior, and Goten got mixed up in it because of how much time they spend together. So, with that in mind, Vegeta and I agreed those two are not to see each other until further notice. I still feel like that moratorium should be in place, save for special occasions our families may spend together. They're a dangerous combination right now given their age."

Bulma lightly nodded her head in agreement, "I agree," she stated quietly, now feeling embarrassed and completely focusing her attention on Chi Chi away from her computer.

"Further, if this sort of thing happens again, I will not allow my family to mingle with yours going forward. That includes my oldest son, his wife, and daughter. Whatever Goku and Vegeta do doesn't really concern me; but everything else WILL be stopped."

It had been years since Chi Chi talked to Bulma this way, before they truly became friends; but she knew Chi Chi was capable of it, given stories she'd heard about her with Goku and her sons. She looked at Chi Chi with some resentment. Who was she to speak to her this way? To protect her family? Like Bulma was some kind of predator. She made a mistake, assuredly. But how often had she bailed out Chi Chi's family financially, not to mention covering Gohan's university costs? And how much guidance had she given to Gohan in his career path that Chi Chi could never have given? Not to mention that she allowed her son to be best friends with a boy from a low class family, which didn't exactly help Trunks in school. His affiliation with Goten lowered his instructors' views of him as the next heir to Capsule Corp.

Regardless, Bulma knew Chi Chi was prone to overreaction, and she viewed this as just that. So she took it in stride.

"Yes, okay. It's not going to happen again; but I understand," Bulma diplomatically responded.

"Okay then," Chi Chi affirmed.

Bulma closed her eyes in both anger and embarrassment. She didn't want this visit to end on such a note. Then she remembered her chat with Enzo.

"Hey, Chi Chi, is there anything else you wanted to go over about this matter?"

"…No, that's it."

"Okay…well. Something interesting to tell you that's unrelated. Do you remember that guy you danced with at the gala?"

Now it was Chi Chi's turn to be saucer-eyed, with a huge pit in her stomach.

"Uh…sure. Guy with the funny mask."

"Right, well he's our main supplier for baked items. Guy's name is Enzo and he owns probably the biggest bakery in the city."

Chi Chi nodded as if she didn't know any of this.

"Anyway, I talked to him the other day about a business related matter, and then started asking me about you! Like what type of person you are, and so on. It was kind of funny on my end because this isn't the first time he's used me as a screener for women he likes. Of course, the women he likes almost always are married already. He's big on the traditional types. Thought you'd be interested to hear that as a confidence booster. You're a looker sweetie!"

Chi Chi worked very hard to not give any indication that she knew the man, "Well, that's flattering," she deadpanned.

"You told him I'm married, right?" Chi Chi asked with anxiety.

"Oh of course."

Chi Chi bent her head down hide her facial expression. If Bulma told him that then what would he think of her now? Especially after she explicitly lied to him about her marital status. And it's not as if she didn't know he was trying to court her. She was kind of stringing him along for male attention.

"Ohhhh, wait. I don't think I got to that part," Bulma started laughing.

"When I was talking to him it was already late in the day, and I was carrying on the conversation somewhat absent mindedly. After he mentioned you, I immediately wanted to get off the phone with him since obviously he would have no chance with you. So…nope. Didn't tell him you were married."

A load of bricks lifted off Chi Chi's shoulders upon hearing this. She lifted her face up again, no longer panicking about Enzo's perception of her.

"You left out an important part Bulma," Chi Chi stated, albeit speciously.

"Ehh, it's not like it'll make a difference."

Mrs. Briefs walked in with tea. The two took a cup and started sipping as they descended into ladies' talk.

After another hour or so with Bulma, Chi Chi left Capsule Corp and ventured toward her meeting with Enzo.

Vegeta came out of training shortly after Chi Chi left. Knowing that she was there, he was naturally curious.

"What did Kakarot's woman want?"

"It seems like to provide me a thinly veiled moralizing beratement," Bulma replied, still bitter from the way Chi Chi spoke to her earlier.

"That woman has no right to speak about morals," Vegeta remarked.

"What do you mean, Vegeta?"

"You'll see," Vegeta replied, while making Bulma once again feel protected by her Prince.

Gohan was putting in another Saturday at the office. The city was surprisingly uncrowded today; so he was able to pick up on individual life forms. He noticed his mother at Capsule Corp…and now leaving. Still suspicious from everything that had been happening lately, he continued to trace her to see if she was heading back to the mountain region. She wasn't. That was enough for Gohan to save his work and leave his office. He was officially following his mother.

Chi Chi drove from Capsule toward the café where she had agreed to meet Enzo. She probably could have walked from Capsule Corp; but leaving her car there would be suspicious. Even if she said she was doing some shopping, which she did plan to do today, it seemed unreasonable that she would be able to carry all of her purchases from shopping destinations back to her car. So she drove.

Chi Chi had decided on the drive into the city that she was going to tell Enzo that she couldn't meet with him anymore, and nip this in the bud. Goku was definitely trying to improve and was striking a better balance in terms of being an actual husband. Not to mention that she had a really close call the other night when she was too inebriated to drive back to the mountains.

With the city being relatively quiet, she had no issues finding a parking spot. She entered the café to see Enzo was already there sipping coffee. The two greeted each other with a hug and Chi Chi ordered a beverage. Gohan was on the other side of the street and could see clearly through the windows of the café that his mother was with a man. His suspicions for the past couple weeks seemed confirmed. He bought a newspaper from a street stand to inconspicuously wait things out.

Chi Chi and Enzo sat down.

"How have you been?" Enzo started pleasantries.

"Not bad. Very busy, this time of year. How's work? Are you guys getting even busier?" Chi Chi asked with a slight grin.

"Yea. I was there earlier this morning. Depending on what progress we make, I may go back later. I'm exhausted though," Enzo answered.

"I bet…"

Sensing Chi Chi's proclivity for awkward silences he started talking about his conversation with Bulma.

"I hope you don't find this weird; but I asked Bulma about you the other day."

"…In what respect? And no, it seems reasonable considering we only met recently." Chi Chi asked and noted, once again playing dumb. She was starting to see an issue here. She was constantly telling lies to cover other lies and pretending she didn't know about things to cover herself. She wasn't sure if she could keep it up. This sort of deception was not natural for her.

"I asked somethings about the type of person she knows you to be, what type of things you like to do. Just some general things."

"And does the story check out?" Chi Chi asked with a smile and some sarcasm.

"Yes, it does," Enzo plainly replied.

Enzo then sought to continue speaking; but he was having a difficult time forming words. After about a five second pause, he finally spoke.

"Look, Chi Chi…I, uh, well, I really like you a lot. And frankly, I wanted to ask if you would be interested in starting to date-officially."

" _Shit_ ," Chi Chi thought as she stared at Enzo.

This completely went against Chi Chi's plan for this encounter, and now she was legitimately concerned about hurting Enzo's feelings. As her brain quickly thought through literally everything she considered a couple things.

" _Things have been better with Goku; but he always ends up reverting back to his normal state, which would be the way things were a month ago. Besides, I've already been able to go out and meet Enzo anyway. While there have been close calls, I just need to be more careful about it. And me 'dating' doesn't really mean anything if we don't do anything. Worst case scenario is that I actually have a friend besides Bulma. And if things start actually getting serious, then I stop it then."_

After what seemed like an eternity to Chi Chi, she finally replied, "Sure, I'd like that."

Enzo lightly grinned and expressed his happiness with a mere "awesome."

"I can get us tickets to the last seasonal showing of the _Nutcracker_ if you're interested. It's tomorrow. So short notice, I know; but if you don't know now try to let me know by early evening."

"Oh, okay!" Chi Chi replied enthusiastically.

Getting out on Sunday might be a challenge for her; but she had always wanted to see the play, and naturally she never really did more cultured things with Goku.

' _A guy who can get last minute tickets…nice,'_ she thought to herself.

Lost in this is that Enzo was dressed very sporty. Nice jeans, a collared shirt and a blue blazer with shiny black leather shoes-probably from Italy if she had to guess. No tie. Classic Southern European male look.

Chi Chi felt her succumbing to something she was fighting for a little bit: she found Enzo very attractive.

Given this thought she started having second thoughts about her belief that simply 'dating' him would be harmless as long as nothing happened. Her thought pattern was broken by Enzo.

"Anyway, I really wanted to meet you today to propose that to you. I'd actually like to head home now and catch some sleep. So let me know about tomorrow, and if not we'll make others plans," Enzo closed.

He got up from his chair, proceeded to lightly kiss Chi Chi on the forehead and started walking out. Sitting there dumbfounded, Chi Chi got up and caught up to Enzo.

"How far do you live from here?" Chi chi asked.

"Couple blocks," Enzo factually replied.

"Okay, I'll walk home with you."

Enzo seemed a bit surprised but agreed.

Gohan couldn't see Enzo kissing Chi Chi since he was pretending to read the paper; but he noticed a big shift in his mother's energy.

Chi Chi walked with Enzo back to his apartment building entrance.

Enzo turned and smiled, "Okay, talk to you soon."

Chi Chi was starting to wonder. She could feel herself beginning to be overwhelmed by a combination of caring and lust for this man.

" _I wonder what his place looks like,"_ she thought.

"Hey, would you mind if I came up and saw your place for a bit?" Chi Chi asked hesitantly.

Enzo eyed her strangely, as if he wasn't expecting it. He really wanted to sleep; but another couple minutes would be okay. He agreed and Enzo led Chi Chi to his apartment.

Upon entering, Chi Chi noted that Enzo's apartment was decorated much the way his bakery was. It was fairly spacious, and the rent there certainly wasn't cheap judging by the size, although it seemed like Enzo could probably afford a bigger place if he wanted one. There was a kitchen, a sitting room, and two bedrooms. It was also very tidy in the kitchen and there was generally little clutter, aside from where his video game console was. This surprised Chi Chi considering he was a single man.

"So this is it! Not a whole lot else to say." Enzo remarked with a grin.

"You keep this place up well. And the decorative flair adds a lot to it," Chi Chi complemented.

"Thanks," Enzo stated quietly.

All in all, it seemed evident Enzo was a modest man who didn't get out too much socially because of how seriously he took his work. The latter point is the only thing that would explain why he wasn't married or in a serious relationship at this point.

" _They don't make 'em like this anymore,'_ Chi Chi thought referring to the type of man Enzo was.

As Chi Chi processed her thought, she placed her left hand on Enzo's shoulder.

Enzo was caught off guard by this, and then even more so when Chi Chi slowly moved in to kiss him on the mouth. Enzo's tired eyes were weary of what appeared to be happening.

As their lips met, Chi Chi started moving her tongue into Enzo's mouth.

" _I can't believe I'm really doing this."_

As their kiss intensified, Enzo slightly attempted to push Chi Chi away-but he couldn't. Chi Chi's physical strength was overbearing for him. As Chi Chi began pleasuring him with a free hand, he acquiesced. Enzo reciprocated by doing the same for Chi Chi under her skirt.

" _Wow, she's good."_ Enzo thought.

" _Wow, he's good."_ Chi Chi thought, beginning to lose any inhibitions about her actions that she may have had before.

Chi Chi let out a slight moan and removed Enzo's blazer and started to unbutton his shirt. Enzo was shredded. Not like Goku, of course; but for a human his body wasn't too far off from the miniature Roman statue he had as decoration. Enzo proceeded to remove Chi Chi's skirt and blouse. Now down to her undergarments, Enzo continued pleasuring her below as well as on her breasts with his other hand. Chi Chi let her hair loose and allowed her head to fall back in ecstasy.

Chi Chi let out a gasp that was a little louder and rested her head on Enzo's shoulder as she began to remove his jeans. Enzo's arousal was evident. Chi Chi slipped her hand under his boxers and began playing with him. Enzo released a huff of air, trying to restrain his outburst.

Enzo undid Chi Chi's bra and started to orally please Chi Chi's breasts. Chi Chi let out a fairly loud gasp. It had been so long since she was fulfilled like this. While doing this, Enzo removed her underpants and began caressing her bottom.

Enzo stopped suddenly and removed his boxers and walked into his room. Chi Chi followed. Enzo's excitement on full display, he quickly moved to apply protection. Chi Chi was a bit perplexed by this because Goku had never used protection.

After this, Enzo gently pulled Chi Chi towards him. They began to kiss again with a significant amount of tongue. Enzo continued fooling around with Chi Chi's labia and clitoris. Chi Chi was getting lightheaded from the pleasure such that she moved for the two to lay down on the bed. Enzo's laid his member on Chi Chi's folds as he continued suckling her breasts.

Finally, Enzo moved to insert himself in her. As Chi Chi felt him start to enter, her eyes shot open.

" _What am I doing?! This could throw away everything in life I've built! What would my sons think of me? How would Goku react?!"_ Chi Chi was thinking of all the reasons why this was a bad idea as her eyes started to water with tears.

Enzo noticed her tears and questioned why she was crying. He immediately stopped and removed himself.

"What's wrong? It's not pain from me is it?"

"No…I…I just can't do this! I'm sorry." She ended somberly with shame.

Chi Chi got up and dressed herself. She also redid her hair.

"I'm very sorry Enzo. This was a stupid idea from the start," she apologized still teary eyed.

Very confused, Enzo just stared at her as she walked out.

As Chi Chi walked down the stairs to exit the building, her tears continued to escalate as she thought about everything. She finally arrived at the door and stepped out with tears streaming down to her blouse.

"Hello mother," Gohan greeted her in an angry voice with a penetrating stare.


	11. An Awkward Holiday

Disclaimer:

I do not own or profit from any Dragonball Z content or characters. The same applies to any popular songs referenced in the story, any publications, movies, or other cultural references. Any original characters not in the Dragonball Z universe are named at random, and not intended to mirror any living or dead individual.

The idea for this story belongs to Charismatic Beauty.

 **Chapter 11: An Awkward Holiday**

"Hello mother."

Chi Chi paused in the middle of the sidewalk, knowing who it was but afraid to acknowledge him. With Gohan at her side facing her, she stared straight ahead into the urban landscape with wide eyes, completely stunned and defeated.

Gohan stepped in front of her and assailed her.

"What's going on?" he asked, with a deep and almost blood thirsty voice that only a Saiyan could muster.

"I…" Chi Chi stuttered.

"I was visiting a mutual friend of Bulma's for lunch," Chi Chi finally let out in an unconvincing voice.

"Well that must've been a literal power lunch then giving the bodily activity of you and the other person. Were you talking bites while doing push-ups?" Gohan sarcastically asked.

Chi Chi let her head and eyes fall to the ground. It occurred to her Gohan would've known what happened without seeing it.

The awkward silence between the two was filled by buses, cars, cyclists and pedestrians.

"Look, I knew something had be up for a while. I don't know how long this been going on but you can certainly count on me to NOT consider you as my mother from this point forward."

Chi Chi now looked up with tears welling in her eyes.

"Not only have you shown yourself to be a hypocrite with me and my brother, by raising us to act in exactly the opposite manner you have; but more importantly you've betrayed the love and caring of my father. In what world does he deserve such a thing?!"

Chi Chi had no response because she knew this was ultimately indefensible, as tears now rolled down her face.

"I'm going home. At least I'm at peace knowing what all of these strange behaviors with you recently have been all about," Gohan concluded as he started to walk away.

As the distance between Chi Chi and Gohan spread, panic set in.

" _Now he's going to tell everyone and not only will I have no friends, I won't even have a home where I'm welcome?!"_

"Gohan!" Chi Chi screamed with her voice cracking.

Gohan turned around and looked at her with a compassionless face, so different from the one she was used to seeing from her oldest son.

"…so I guess you're going to tell everyone then…" Chi Chi stated softly while staring back at the pavement.

"No," he replied matter-of-factly.

Chi Chi looked up at him with confusion evident in her facial expressions.

"If I tell anyone it will crush both Goten and Dad. I'd rather keep it a secret than them know. Though I anticipate at some point your guilt will cause you to tell them-especially now that you've been caught."

With that, Gohan turned and started walking away again. Chi Chi leaned against the building and sat while crying fully with her eyes buried in her knees.

***Christmas Day at the (original) Son House***

It was the first time in several years Chi Chi and her family hosted Christmas. It had been at Capsule Corp several years running; but it was decided a time ago that venues would change given Bulma's recent Vacation/CIA operation/Rehab, depending on who you asked.

Chi Chi started cooking the day prior to Christmas Eve, since she would be having a lot of people and many of those people would be Saiyans. Given the food demand levels, Goku offered to help cook a lot of meat the day of using energy blasts. Bulma offered to pay a catering service to provide even more food, because it would almost certainly be eaten; but Chi Chi declined as she normally would have. This was augmented by the fact that her last conversation with Bulma had been…awkward.

The house had been barren of decorations until then. Chi Chi let Goten decorate the house and put up a conifer he procured from the forest. For him, it was a break from school work, and it made things easier for Chi Chi.

In the couple days leading up, Goten, Goku, and Pan had played in the snow while Gohan worked right up to the holiday along with some of the other go-getters at the university on a 'major' project.

Chi Chi was doing okay from her encounter with Gohan, and that she had truly been disloyal to her husband because she was constantly cooking. It was a good enough distraction. However, the nights haunted her. Because then she had no distraction. She used liquor to fall asleep, and woke up hungover. The morning of Christmas Eve she vomited from the effects. And even alcohol couldn't hide her guilt at night, especially when Goku would hold her.

It didn't help that Videl was helping her quite a bit in the kitchen. She could tell Gohan said nothing to her since she was acting exactly as she always did around Chi Chi: extremely reverent, polite, and helpful. But Chi Chi sharing her space required her to 'fake it.' And when she dropped her guard, Videl would of course ask if she was doing alright. And then she had to keep her lie consistent, that she was overwhelmed by the amount of work involved in hosting-especially at her more advanced age.

The night she returned home after Gohan catching her, Goku noticed the puffiness in her eyes. Knowing something was wrong, he prodded here about it. Not knowing what to do, she lied and said that she was overwhelmed about hosting the holiday, a lie she continued for the next few days. This caused Goku to ask Goten and Bulma for help, and even offer it himself. His actions naturally made her feel even worse about her infidelity.

Chi Chi had gone so far the proceeding days to resist any intimate attempts from her husband. Even though this was part of why she had been frustrated with him for a time, she now felt filthy acquiescing to it because she had soiled herself with another man. When asked why she was resisting, all she could say was that she was very fatigued, which itself was true.

"DING-DONG!"

"Oh that's Krillin!" Goku exclaimed with obvious excitement as Chi Chi was finishing off some of the last side dishes.

Goten was excited to see Marron. He hadn't interacted with anyone nearly his age in months.

Goku greeted his friend and his family with a Claus hat and fake white beard.

"Merry Christmas!" he shouted to his friends.

"Merry Christmas, Goku" 18 courtesy replied.

Chi Chi had a plan to stay in the kitchen and avoid people as much as possible. She was wasn't in the best position to interact.

Rather quickly, other guests started filing in. Yamcha, Tien, Master Roshi, and then even Piccolo appeared. Notably absent were the Briefs, as well as Gohan and Pan.

Goku was goofing around with a lot of the guests as expected, Goten and Marron were catching up, and 18 decided to speak with Chi Chi and Videl.

Gohan finally showed with his daughter, at which point Videl went to greet her husband and Pan since she hadn't seen them since the previous evening as Gohan had slept in that morning. As Videl left the kitchen area, 18 gently asked Chi Chi how she was doing, sensing that she wasn't well.

"You don't look too hot Chi Chi, minus the heat of the stove and ovens obviously. Are things still not going too smoothly you and Captain Lummox?"

With sweat now starting to drip down her nose, Chi Chi turned to 18 and stared blankly for a moment with a cooking sheet in her hands.

"Thanks for asking 18. I'm alright. Just a bit worn out prepping for this. But as far as…Captain Lummox, things have actually been very good. I'm happy with where were are," Chi Chi replied in a convincing tone.

"Well good. I'm happy to hear it. Krillin was getting worried about that as well. Speaking of you being worn out, would you like some help carrying these…troughs out your way?"

"Yes, they are actually troughs, for the Saiyan table," Chi Chi joked.

"And no thank you. Outside of you, I'm still the strongest woman on the planet."

"Suit yourself," 18 replied in her usual aloof tone.

Gohan stepped in and proceeded to greet his father, brother, Piccolo, and everyone else-except for this mother.

"Hey Gohan, your mom's in the kitchen," Goku innocently directed his son.

"Oh, okay. Thanks Dad," Gohan responded in his standard innocent voice.

Gohan walked back toward the kitchen. Chi Chi turned and stared at him, petrified of her own son.

"I only came back here so Dad thinks I'm greeting you."

Chi Chi gulped and finally agreed in soft and sad voice, "Fine."

In fairness, Chi Chi had been doing okay up to that point. But her interaction with Gohan threw her off again. She abandoned the kitchen, with burners and timers running alike, and went the bathroom to get away. She reached for the bottle she had in the cabinet and started taking swings. She could only have so many while simultaneously avoiding full inebriation.

The doorbell rang again while Chi Chi was in the bathroom.

" _That must be the prodigal asshole and his princess,"_ she thought.

Sure, enough when the door was opened she heard the disingenuous, "Helllllllooooo!" that was unmistakably Bulma's.

As soon as Goten and Trucks made eye contact they shouted.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

They then proceeded to engage in their special 'handshake/ceremony of greeting' making for quite a show for everyone else.

While Goku ultimately agreed with Chi Chi's punishment for Goten, he was happy his son was getting to see the person who was obviously his best friend. Naturally, on the other hand, Vegeta scowled and scoffed at the sight.

"If I didn't have tangible proof to the contrary, I'd swear you two were physically attracted to each other," Vegeta piped.

Bulma promptly slapped him on the shoulder.

"Keep an eye on those boys for us Marron," Bulma spoke across the room while winking at Krillin and 18's daughter. Her statement seemed to suggest that she was willing to let them engage in their usual shenanigans, if only for today.

Meanwhile, Vegeta was whispering some instructions into his daughter's ears, likely about watching her brother. She walked over to where the other kids were, despite being a bit younger. Bulma eyed Vegeta as if to ask, "What'd you tell her?"

Vegeta remained mum on the matter, stating it was private.

"You remember that I'm her mother, right?" Bulma raised her voice at Vegeta.

"And a fantastic mother at that," Vegeta replied with sarcasm.

Realizing Bulma was ready to pop, Goku stepped in and offered some holiday adult beverages.

"Sure Goku. I'll drink everything you have," Bulma stated, rather excitedly.

Vegeta face-palmed while rolling his eyes. After this exchange Bulma and Vegeta were largely separated for the rest of the evening.

With the Briefs there Chi Chi could now start preparing for people to eat. She asked Goku to cook the meat he promised to skewer.

"Yea, sure thing, babe. What am I cooking?"

 _Babe_. Chi Chi used to secretly like it when Goku called her that. Now it just kept reminding her of her indiscretions.

Chi Chi led Goku to their large outdoor freezer, which was quite practical in the winter. It was stocked with all different kinds of meat. Exactly the things that would make a Saiyan stomach happy.

"No problem, Chi. I'll be done in a jiff."

 _Chi._ Another one of Goku's pet names that she openly adored. Because of this she felt even worse, and remained at a standstill near the freezer while Goku moved toward open space to 'cook' the meat.

" _Chi Chi?"_ Bulma inquired about her whereabouts suggestively, as she often did.

Snapped out of her sorrow, Chi Chi followed her voice to the front door and greeted Bulma.

"Hey Baby. I haven't had a chance to see you yet," Bulma stated while embracing Chi Chi.

Chi Chi embraced back, but was rather surprised by Bulma's warm welcome, considering their last conversation. Nonetheless, she stated the perfunctory lines.

"How are you doing Bulma?"

"Okay," Bulma stated while nodding her head up and down.

"But you look terrible honey. Not to mention you've been drinking."

Chi Chi froze at Bulma's observation.

"How'd…?" Chi Chi inquired.

"I can spot it a mile away," Bulma replied.

"Well…it's been pretty stressful hosting this. It's taken a lot out of me," Chi Chi stated, trying to continue to her lie.

"I'm sure that's true; but if that were all you wouldn't be boozing on the DL."

Chi Chi looked at Bulma, not sure how to get out of this. Bulma had dealt with enough crap in her early years with Vegeta to know when someone was in really bad shape.

Meanwhile, Piccolo sensed a large disturbance within Gohan, with whom he shared a natural, and telepathic connection. He walked up to him in a fairly private corner of the Son Residence living area.

"Gohan."

"Yes, Piccolo?"

"Can we step outside?"

Gohan knew what Piccolo wanted to know as soon as that request was complete.

The two walked out and flew to an empty part of the forest. Snow covered the landscape, with bare trees dotting one's vision as far as it could see.

"Gohan, I've noticed a huge disturbance in you for the past several months. But over the past few days it's been both better _and_ worse. I know you've been busy with your human-style work; so I didn't want to disturb you. I figured you had enough judgement by now to come to me if it were really that important. But since were here together anyway, I'm curious. Not to mention it bothers me when you're in turbulent emotional states."

"Yes, you're right on all counts Piccolo. It's nothing as serious as being a threat to the planet or someone's bodily well-being. So in that respect I certainly didn't feel it was worth approaching you about it."

"But there is something wrong?"

"Yes, of course. …You wouldn't believe me if I lied to you anyway. Basically there's been something that I was certain was happening for which I had no proof. Now I have proof. So if the emotional channel has changed recently, that's why. There's been a change in facts."

"You've been blocking your telepathic lanes; so I assume this is personal."

"As usual, you're correct."

"Anything to do with your child or mate?"

"No…not directly. And like I said, it's nothing regarding the planet being threatened, or anyone, including my father being in physical danger."

"You've said _physical_ danger twice. So there's mental danger then."

"Yes. But it's a matter of human emotions, which you admittedly don't fully understand. So I'll have to handle this one myself."

Piccolo nodded, "Okay then. That's all I wanted to know."

"Piccolo, you can't say anything to anyone."

Piccolo grinned, "You know I wouldn't unless you gave me permission."

 _To Be Continued_


	12. People Talk

Disclaimer:

I do not own or profit from any Dragonball Z content or characters. The same applies to any popular songs referenced in the story, any publications, movies, or other cultural references. Any original characters not in the Dragonball Z universe are named at random, and not intended to mirror any living or dead individual.

The idea for this story belongs to Charismatic Beauty.

 **Chapter 12: People Talk**

***(New) Son Residence***

After the holiday proceedings Gohan, Videl, and Pan walked back to their house. Videl was ravaged from helping Chi Chi in kitchen both before and after everyone left. Pan was already asleep in her father's arms. Gohan was simply exhausted from a perpetual lack of sleep.

"I'll put her to bed," Gohan whispered to his wife.

Videl headed to their room. She noticed Gohan's behavior was even stranger than it had usually been recently while at his parents' house. He did not openly interact with his mom, and made a point to stay away from her. At one point he took off with Piccolo. She thought about these matters and went back to Gohan's paranoia the night of the masquerade ball at Capsule Corp. She then remembered Goku paying her a visit for relationship advice, which she still found very odd. There were a lot of puzzle pieces that fit in her brain, which was brilliant in its own right. She would've been valedictorian in high school save for Gohan's presence.

Videl's brow furrowed as Gohan walked back into their room. As Videl was changing into pajamas, Gohan took his shirt and pants off in preparation to do the same.

"Gohan, you've been very tense the whole day. Why don't you lay down on your stomach and let me relax your muscles."

"Not now Videl, I'm exhausted. You didn't have an easy day either."

"True, but I'm not the one with a brain racing at the Monaco Grand Prix."

Videl, wearing only a t-shirt and underwear gently shoved Gohan from behind. He fell into place much easier than expected. He had severely weakened since they had Pan.

"Really?" Gohan inquired exasperated.

"REALLY," She replied in a firm tone.

Videl lit some candles around the room they kept in place for more intimate occasions and shut the lights off while grabbing some body oils. She began to relieve the tension in Gohan's body and indirectly his mind. She had to know what he talked about with Piccolo. Normally, she never bothered, understanding the special relationship the two have had since Gohan was a toddler. However, she couldn't help but think this was related to everything that had been happening with Gohan. But with the knowledge he always had his guard up, she had to sedate his mental defenses.

Videl timed it to the minute and after seven minutes asked, "What'd you and Piccolo talk about earlier today?"

Gohan tilted to head and opened his upward eye to look at Videl.

"You never ask me what I talk about with Piccolo."

"Right, but this is the first time you've bolted from a gathering specifically to speak with him. Rather conspicuous, wouldn't you say?"

"True, but he just stated that he knew something was bothering me."

"Did you tell him?"

"No. It's too personal."

"And I assume this thing is your mom?"

"Of course."

"Okay, but you still don't know anything?" Videl asked, now suspiciously as she continued messaging Gohan's back.

"No," Gohan replied after a couple second pause.

The pause was strange for Videl. Gohan rarely hesitated when discussing facts he knows or doesn't know.

"Sooo, you ghosted your mother for an entire holiday despite having no information?"

After a deep inhale of air, Gohan simply replied "Yes."

"So, you, someone who studies biochemistry for a living and is neurotic about 'the data' did not interact with your mother, who you revere, on Christmas based on a gut feeling?"

Unfortunately for Gohan, Videl knew him too well at this point. Gohan realized she would have one of two possible conclusions: 1) Gohan was losing his mind, or 2) he was lying.

"Your silence screams 'I'm full of shit honey!'"

Gohan huffed in defeat. His wife artfully backed him into a corner. And now something he stated he would not say to anyone would have to come out.

"Gohan! You better tell me what's going on. If this is about your mother, you clearly know something now and it's taking an even larger toll on you!" Videl now screamed at him like she did when she first met her husband.

"Is this about your mother?!" Videl continued prodding Gohan.

Now sitting up in their bed, Gohan whispered, " _Yes._ "

Videl closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Whatever this was, it wasn't good, and given Gohan's level of respect for his mother was going to make it worse.

Gohan sat with his head down, sullen and unwilling to speak. Videl noticed tear droplets slowly falling on the bed sheets. She moved and held him in a nurturing manner, the way a mother would hold her child.

"What happened?" She asked, now in a quiet and sensitive tone.

Gohan rested his head on Videl's chest for a few minutes. She didn't probe any further, understanding a wave of restrained emotion was being released.

Gohan let go of his wife with his eyes wet from tears and his nose filled with them. Videl reached for a tissue and provided it to him.

Once Gohan composed himself, he told Videl, "The short of it is…my mother has in fact had an affair. May still be having one."

Videl's eyes widened, partially expecting this; but still shocked nonetheless. Not only was it completely out of character for Chi Chi, who became more of her adopted mother rather than mother-in-law over the years; but from Gohan's perspective this was also a betrayal of his father and brother.

"You're sure, right?" Videl confirmed.

Gohan nodded in the affirmative.

"It was unmistakable. I didn't see anything with my eyes; but if you can detect energy levels it's easy to tell when someone is fooling around."

Videl thought about how weird that would be for Gohan as a child but quickly stashed the thought away as lacking importance at the moment. She gripped the bridge of her nose, now unsure of what to do for her husband.

"But you can't tell anyone!" Gohan added desperately.

"I promised my mother I wouldn't say anything. Not for her sake; but for my dad and brother."

Videl looked downward, "Okay then, I won't say anything either," she affirmed with a defeated whisper.

*** (Original) Son Residence ***

Chi Chi huffed a sigh of relief as the last of the guests departed.

"Well, that was fun. I'm glad we hosted," Goku stated.

Chi Chi's eyes took time to find Goku's, but she agreed with him through a quick smile and nod.

Goten was sad that Trunks was gone; but Goku assured his son that he'd get to see his friend again on New Year's Eve.

Despite help from Videl, Bulma, and 18, Chi Chi still had a huge mess to clean up. She noticed Goku walk over and start cleaning a dish, which he then subsequently shattered.

"You still can't control your strength with these things?!" Chi Chi yelled.

"I guess not. I thought I had a much better ability to be gentle by now," Goku replied while chuckling.

Chi Chi eventually smiled back at Goku. The accident reminded her of the past.

She walked up to Goku and pecked him on the lips.

"Thank you for trying," she remarked while holding his broad shoulders in her hands.

Goku smirked and removed some sweat from her forehead with his thumb.

Chi Chi always enjoyed small moments like this with Goku. It made her feel special that the most powerful being in the galaxy was so kind and gentle with her.

She then recalled her betrayal of him, and immediately felt an onset of terrible sentiments. She closed her eyes and felt a need to get away from Goku out of guilt.

"Um, Goku, there _is_ something I need help with. The roaster is too heavy for me to move. Can you dismantle and put it back?"

"Yea sure," Goku replied enthusiastically.

Goku went outside and Chi Chi started to let tears fall from her eyes as she rested her head on the kitchen counter. Her remorse was now eating her alive.

Goten spotted his mother in this position and naturally inquired about her well-being.

"What's wrong Mom?"

Chi Chi kept her head on the counter to avoid showing tears. She turned her head to the side opposite Goten and replied to her son.

"Very tired, honey. It's been awhile since I've hosted such a big event."

Goten walked over and started gently rubbing his mother's back, assuming she was physically exhausted.

"It's hard to believe I'm seeing this. Gohan said you were a machine when he was younger. Like, you never got tired," Goten said.

"…Well, I was younger then too dear," Chi Chi replied with her head still facing the opposite direction while it lay on the counter.

"Maybe Dad can't control his power enough to do dishes; but I can. Why don't I get started?"

Sensing this could turn into a large interaction, Chi Chi had to stop it. She couldn't handle it right now.

"No, it's okay sweetie. Why don't you get ready for bed? It's late and you have to start your work again tomorrow. I'll take care of this mess in the morning."

Goten agreed and skipped off to bed, certainly not wanting to jeopardize his school work in his mother's domain.

Chi Chi began crying further as Goten left the area. Not only did she betray her husband, but the father of her children, and her children directly. There was no way this could end well. She didn't know what to do.

***Outside***

Meanwhile, Goku was outside power washing the roaster and getting it ready for storage. He didn't mind at all. Though he noticed that despite a few moments here and there, he and Chi Chi had still been pretty distant despite his recent efforts. He was trying very hard, at least as he knew it; but maybe it wasn't enough. As he had always maintained, he never had an example of a model husband or father. Both Gohan and Goten seem to like him enough as a parent; but he still couldn't tell if he was doing enough as a husband.

Chi Chi had declined intimacy with him a few times recently, and they didn't speak much during the holiday, even while they were alone. Granted, Chi Chi was busy the whole day and he was busy once folks arrived. But things were still very different from how they used to be. Before all of this, before his brother invaded the planet, and even before he gave his life against Cell, things between the two of them were so different. They shared an emotional bond. Each one could determine the thoughts of the other. They openly confided in each other, even if the matter didn't involve the other. Goku thought about the frequency of their intimacy then. And while he understood humans age quicker than Saiyans, the drop off in that department didn't seem proportionate. It certainly hadn't stopped Bulma and Vegeta, and Bulma is older than Chi Chi-not to mention also completely human. And one could argue Chi Chi is not only in better health, but is actually more attractive these days than her Saiyan matriarch counterpart. Bulma had aged quite a bit over the recent years.

" _What am I doing wrong?_ " Goku thought to himself as he looked up to the night sky surrounded by the cold and crisp air.

He absently noted how it was a good thing he didn't have his tail anymore, as the full moon would've otherwise made him transform.

More to the point, Goku wasn't sure from whom to seek out help, if he were to do so. He had already spoke with Videl; but asking your daughter-in-law is a bit strange. Yamcha hadn't been in a steady relationship since Bulma. There was probably a reason for that. Vegeta is a full-blooded Saiyan; but Bulma doesn't really have the expectations of him that Chi Chi does of Goku. Krillin might be a good choice. His oldest friend who also has a feisty wife. He's not a Saiyan constantly trying to improve in battle; but that might be the point. Chi Chi would probably be happier with someone who is more like a regular human mate.

" _Could I be like a regular human husband? According to myself, no. I already told her that I can't balance being a husband, father, and world protector_."

" _What did she make of that? I hope she didn't take it too seriously. I was being a bit defensive._ "

Goku wanted to unleash his frustration somehow; but he was concerned about Goten, and even Gohan next door interpreting it as a distress signal. He had to remain in command of his emotions.

" _What have I done?"_ Goku asked himself under the night sky.

***Kame House***

Krillin and 18 laid in bed after returning home from the gathering, lazily discussing the events of the day.

"They seemed okay, those two," 18 commented.

"Who?"

"Goku and Chi Chi."

"Was there a problem?"

"…Yes. Don't guys talk about anything together? She and Goku were having some relationship issues. But they seemed okay tonight given that she was always in the kitchen and he was entertaining guests."

"Hmm…I guess." 18's comments caused Krillin to start thinking about his friend. He had no idea they were having trouble.

*** (Original) Son Residence ***

Goku and Chi Chi were asleep in bed in the early hours in the morning.

At least one would reach that conclusion. In reality, both were awake-barely. Even Goku couldn't tell Chi Chi was awake by her energy level, partially because of his own lack of focus on it.

Believing Chi Chi was asleep, Goku tried to communicate telepathically with Krillin.

" _Hey Krillin, you awake buddy?"_

" _Barely, what's up Goku?"_

" _Can I come over to talk?"_

" _Now?"_

" _Yea."_

" _Do you know what time it is? Is this important?"_

" _Extremely important."_

Krillin knew when Goku said something was important, it was. This is the same man who downplayed his strength limitations leading up to the fight against Cell when everyone was counting on him.

" _Okay. C'mon over. But be careful. Waking 18 is a BAD idea."_

With that, Goku snuck out the window, sprinted about a mile away from the house, and called on nimbus so he could ride to Kame House without giving off energy. Nimbus still responded to him for some reason even though he gave it to Gohan a while ago, who then gave it to Goten.

Anyway, as Goku left, Chi Chi opened her eyes and proceeded to call…Bulma.

***Capsule Corp***

Bulma stayed awake for a while after returning home from the holiday party and indulged in some cigarettes and liquor. Eventually, she joined Vegeta in bed, and shortly after her mobile received a call from Chi Chi.

The call woke Vegeta as well as Bulma. Bulma answered.

"Do you know what time it is?"

"Yes," Chi Chi replied.

"Is it important?"

"Extremely."

Bulma could tell in Chi Chi's voice that she meant business.

"Who the hell is it?!" Vegeta barked.

Bulma, a master of deceit, quickly thought of a lie.

"It's the head of our plant in Cleveland. Something's going haywire"

"Whatever…" Vegeta ignored the event and tried to return to sleep.

Bulma stormed out of the room to speak with her friend in private.

 _To Be Continued_


	13. Divergent Realities

Disclaimer:

I do not own or profit from any Dragonball Z content or characters. The same applies to any popular songs referenced in the story, any publications, movies, or other cultural references. Any original characters not in the Dragonball Z universe are named at random, and not intended to mirror any living or dead individual.

The idea for this story belongs to Charismatic Beauty.

 **Chapter 13: Divergent Realities**

A/N: Short chapter; but it sets up perfectly for the final chapter, which is the next one.

Goku flew out toward Kame House to meet Krillin.

Meanwhile, Chi Chi told Bulma that she would join her at Capsule Corp. Bulma offered instead to pick her up with her plane and fly back.

"Why did Goku leave?" Bulma asked.

"I don't know. Maybe he's trying to get out for some air."

"I better hurry then!" Bulma replied.

At the same time, Goku was almost at Kame House. As he approached, he hovered over the island on Nimbus and gently dropped down to avoid waking 18, as well as Master Roshi for that matter. Krillin, expecting him, greeted Goku toward the shore.

"What's going on Goku? And do you think we should go somewhere more private than here?" Krillin whispered.

"You can't ride Nimbus so your energy might wake people when you fly. Plus, somewhere 'private' would likely end up with us running into Piccolo."

"Good point…so what's going on that a meeting at this hour was needed?"

"I'm really starting to worry Krillin." Goku expressed in a somber tone, still keeping his voice level down.

Krillin stared at his best friend with concern.

"Is there a new enemy coming?"

"No, nothing like that Krillin. Me and Chi Chi, it's just not the same anymore."

"Not the same what?"

"I don't know. Things are very different between us these days. We just don't have the same connection we used to have. It seemed really evident for me during Christmas at our house. Not like we ghosted each other; but our bond was so different from years past."

Krillin paused, "It wouldn't be the first time that's happened to a couple, Goku. You've been married a long time. You have two sons, one of whom is married with a child. The nature of relationships change."

"I'd be able to accept that; but my understanding is that such a bond is not supposed to wane with Saiyan relationships."

"I take it Vegeta is your source on that one?" Krillin asked skeptically.

"Yes. He's usually right about those things though."

"I had no idea you and Chi Chi were having issues until earlier in the evening when 18 said you and Chi Chi seemed like you were doing well."

"Yea, I guess it's better than it was. But no matter what I do it seems like there's a ceiling."

"How'd this start anyway?"

"Well, to be honest this was my own doing. I didn't interact much with Chi Chi for a few months. I was taking my training really seriously, especially since Goten had been in school. As a result, I didn't really have much to worry about at home save for Chi Chi, who can of course take care of herself. It was only after a while I started to notice the distance between us. We never talked about anything, except our sons and grandchild. But for me, that time period in our lives was the perfect chance to keep improving."

"Might take some time to mend that wound Goku," Krillin suggested.

"Agreed. The first thing I did was ask Videl for advice, since she and Gohan seem to be doing well. I acted on some things she suggested. One of those was to talk with Chi Chi to establish patterns for both of us. To see if we could live with them. For example, Videl understands and accepts that Gohan will spend a lot of time working. In this case, it'd be me explaining my training schedule, and why I do it. Then see if we could reach an understanding."

"Seems reasonable…" Krillin interrupted.

"Right, but it ended up with me basically admitting I couldn't be a father, husband, and do my job training all at once. Chi Chi has never stated this explicitly, but it seems like she'd be a lot happier with a regular human husband who might be better at fulfilling standard roles. And since then, no matter what I do to help her at the house or try to spark some sort of intimacy between us again, the result is short lived."

"…mmm" Krillin pondered during Goku's break in speech.

"Meanwhile, she had spent a large amount of time in the city for Christmas shopping, which I didn't really care about since she seemed to enjoy the atmosphere. But then there was the one night I had to come get her because she was too drunk to drive."

Krillin's eyes shot open. He wasn't aware of the latter story.

"Anyway, she's been a bit uncharacteristic lately given what I've said, and I really have no idea what's going on in general at this point. I came to tell you that and see what you think. I figured you might have a better idea on all this than me."

As Krillin further thought about what Goku said he finally had some concluding remarks.

"To be honest with you Goku, as calm as you can be in fights that determine the future of the galaxy, I'd say you're overreacting here. This all frankly sounds like standard relationship bumps that you both need to work through. In fact, it sounds almost normal for a couple that has both adult and aging children. The parents have to remember what their relationship was like before the kids came. Granted, for you and Chi Chi, that time was not too long after you married; but I'm sure it existed."

"I guess you have a point," Goku acknowledged.

"Why don't you make some nice plans for New Year's Eve? You have to re-normalize being a couple without having to worry about young kids." Krillin suggested.

Goku lit up a bit.

"That's actually a pretty good idea buddy."

Krillin shrugged and chuckled, "It's about the best I can think of."

"Is Chi Chi sleeping?" Krillin asked.

"Yea…" Goku answered absently while looking up at the stars.

"Well why don't you stay here for a little bit still and chill out? The view's nice tonight," Krillin offered.

"Okay," Goku agreed.

***Bulma and Chi Chi***

Chi Chi refused to talk on the flight back to Capsule Corp. She was visibly shaking, and was not providing Bulma any explanations.

Bulma was concerned about Vegeta's reaction, assuming he woke up. Though he wasn't due to wake for another four or so hours.

She _carefully_ landed the plan on the roof top to make as least noise as possible. Bulma led Chi Chi into her home office very quietly and locked the door.

"Can you talk now?" Bulma asked, somewhat annoyed at this point.

Chi Chi's eyes began to swell as she jumped and hugged her friend as tightly as she good. Bulma felt like she was comforting her daughter, partially because of how tight Chi Chi's grip was.

"Chi, you have to loosen up the grip," Bulma barely managed to let out.

Bulma, able to breathe again, began to rub Chi Chi's back in an effort to comfort her.

"Now, obviously something is wrong Chi Chi. What happened?"

"I can't even tell you, it's so bad," Chi Chi whispered as her voice cracked from tears.

Sensing she may have to pull it out of Chi Chi, Bulma began probing.

Unbelieving she was about to ask this, she did anyway.

"Did Goku physically abuse you?"

"…No."

"Okay. Is what happened worse than or not as bad as that?"

Chi Chi sniffled, "I don't know."

Bulma's eyes shot open, wondering could be worse than that.

Bulma thought for a few minutes while continuing to comfort Chi Chi.

"Is this something someone else did or you did?"

After a LONG pause, Bulma knew the answer before it was stated.

"I did it."

"Did you hurt anyone?"

"…not physically."

"So you hurt someone emotionally?"

"Yes, but that person doesn't know it yet."

Bulma's face contorted, as she was now very confused.

"Okay honey, I'm now confused. I can't keep fishing for the answer anymore. You have to tell me in order for me to help."

Bulma waited for thirty seconds. Nothing. Two minutes. Nothing. She used one hand to reach for the bottle of vodka in her desk and poured herself a glass. Nothing after that. The alcohol caused her to lose track of time for a bit, no answer. She finally had it.

"Chi Chi, what the hell is it?! How bad can this be?"

Chi Chi mumbled something back that was inaudible.

"I'm sorry, can you say that again?" Bulma asked.

" _I cheated on Goku!"_ Chi Chi finally let out while trying to hug Bulma closer.

Bulma's facial expression broke as she dropped her glass. She lowered her chin to Chi Chi's shoulder and continued to hold her.

Now Bulma wondered with who. Who in the world could Chi Chi of all people hook up with?

Her thoughts wandered back to her conversation with Enzo when he was asking her about Chi Chi. She then remembered 18 mentioning that Chi Chi and Enzo had danced at the gala. There's no way it could've been anyone else. But such a thing also seemed out of character for Enzo, let alone Chi Chi. Bulma had to know, for her own understanding.

"Chi Chi, did you have an affair with Enzo?"

Thankfully, Bulma didn't have to wait forever for an answer, as Chi Chi nodded her head in the affirmative while her face was buried in Bulma's shoulder.

"Wait, how did you know that?" Chi Chi asked meekly.

"I know everyone in this town Chi Chi," Bulma asserted with exasperation.

Bulma couldn't believe what she had just heard. And she didn't much like this happening to Goku, who she believed ultimately didn't deserve it. However, she also understood what led up to it and why it happened, as well as how lonely Chi Chi has felt.

Bulma resisted her urge to overreact and wanted to give it time before she flew off the handle.

As the two women sat there hugging one another, they began to fall asleep. That was until a knock on the glass doors awoke them. None other than Vegeta, looking in and wondering what exactly was going on. Bulma understood that it _was_ indeed a strange sight to see Chi Chi planked on top of her. Nonetheless, she didn't want to deal with him at the moment.

"Go away Vegeta!"

"What the hell are you two doing? Are you both lesbians now?"

Bulma rolled her eyes at his questioning.

"Didn't you have an issue with one of your plants in Cleveland? And now you're here? Doing this? Unlock the door or I'll break it," Vegeta commanded very forcefully.

Fearing he might actually break them given the circumstances, Bulma rolled Chi Chi off her and unlocked the doors for the Prince of a combined four and one quarter people.

"Seriously, what the hell is going on?!" Vegeta asked.

"And why are you here and not in Cleveland?" he continued.

Even Bulma couldn't tap dance her way out of this one. Maybe she'd have to come clean. Who knew what would happen once Vegeta found out?

"Stop! Don't Move!" Vegeta commanded as he was sniffing.

"What?" Bulma protested.

"Quiet woman!"

Vegeta kept sniffing as he moved toward Chi Chi. He stood right above Chi Chi as she gave Vegeta a confused look. He took one last large sniff.

Fearing what he was up to, Bulma tried to think of anything to throw his line of concentration off track.

"Are you using cocaine Vegeta?" Bulma asked bitterly.

Vegeta was not distracted.

"You've had intercourse with a man who isn't Kakarot. I can _smell it_ ," Vegeta proclaimed victoriously to Chi Chi.

Chi Chi's insides collapsed as Bulma tried to save the day.

"How could you smell THAT Vegeta? You smell other men on me constantly from how many people I interact with on a daily basis."

"That's a different smell than this. You come home smelling like a bunch of men trying to get inside your wallet, your pants, or both. Unfortunately, the stench lingers even after bathing. But after we have intercourse, I can smell myself for days and days and days after," Vegeta explained.

"And her smell is not that of Kakarot," he added.

"Oh yea, aren't you a little suspicious? If you can smell that then Goku should've been able to smell it," Bulma countered, feeling proud of herself for outsmarting her spouse.

"Kakarot never learned to fully process his Saiyan senses because he grew up on this planet. He smelled what I did, but never connected the dots. He likely was intimate with this one around the same time, likely beforehand."

Chi Chi was staring as a bystander, and Bulma was out of bullets. Bulma Briefs folded.

She deeply sighed, "Fine Sherlock Holmes. You win. She had already told me all this before you came here."

Vegeta looked at her with a dismissive face, as if he found out first.

"As much as I can't stand Kakarot, I'll regret having to tell him this," Vegeta remarked.

"Wait a minute Vegeta! We handle this MY way. You understand?" Bulma countered

"Why should I care how _you_ want to 'handle' it? What is there to handle?"

"People's lives, emotions, faith in one another. We do it my way, or I withhold myself from you for a punitive period."

Vegeta understood what Bulma's last statement meant and acquiesced to 'her' way.

 _To be continued._


	14. No More Masks

Disclaimer:

I do not own or profit from any Dragonball Z content or characters. The same applies to any popular songs referenced in the story, any publications, movies, or other cultural references. Any original characters not in the Dragonball Z universe are named at random, and not intended to mirror any living or dead individual.

The idea for this story belongs to Charismatic Beauty.

 **Chapter 14: No More Masks**

A/N: LOL JK about this being the last chapter. Change of plans. Anyway, I refer to Master Roshi's island as "Kame Island" in this chapter. Not sure if that's accurate; but probably not the end of the world.

***Evening***

*Kame Island*

Goku and Krillin spent the evening looking out at the starry night from beach on Kame House Island. It was a quiet affair. Goku did not show a great desire to talk, and Krillin was not going to push him. Nonetheless, he stayed with his friend as they both allowed themselves to get caught up in thought.

*Capsule Corp*

Bulma fended off Vegeta for the evening, and gave Chi Chi a few drinks. Chi Chi fell asleep on the couch in Bulma's study. All the while, Bulma was pondering exactly what to do. She told Vegeta she would do it 'her' way; but she really wasn't sure what that meant. She also questioned how she even ended up in the middle of this. But she was convinced that chaos would break out if she wasn't involved. After all, _'I am a genius,'_ she thought.

***Sunrise***

*Kame Island*

Goku spotted the sunrise and was ready to get moving on what he and Krillin discussed earlier the prior evening. He had sulked enough, and was ready to take action. Because if he was anything, it was that – a man of action.

As he was about to speak to Krillin, 18 walked outside, having realized Goku's presence when she awoke.

"What are you two doing?" she asked her husband and his friend in her usual monotone.

Surprised by her voice, Krillin showed signs of fear and characteristically began fumbling for words.

"Uhhh, morning honey! We were…uh…just watching the sunrise."

"How romantic," she sarcastically replied.

"Anyway, I'm making breakfast. You're welcome to stay Goku," she offered.

Goku's pensive face changed drastically at the sound of food.

"Oh yea! I'm starving! Thanks 18!"

Krillin shook his head at how his friend's emotions could be jostled by food.

"Hey, 18, you know Goku eats enough for about one hundred humans per sitting? Do we have enough food for that?" Krillin sincerely asked.

"Yes, it's fine," 18 quickly replied.

*Capsule Corp*

As 18 was cooking breakfast at another part of the world, Chi Chi still laid asleep, likely in an escape from a nightmare that she ultimately instigated. Bulma had large shiners under her eyes from stress and a lack of sleep. Nothing really new for her. She lit up a cigarette and decided the only thing to do was for Chi Chi to come clean given her level of guilt. She have to tell this to Goku's face, and those of her sons, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter. The fall out might be ugly; but Chi Chi would forever be a basket case otherwise.

She figured she'd give Chi Chi some more time to sleep. After that, she'd have to face reckoning. There was no other option.

*Kame Island*

As Goku wolfed down food beyond what 18 planned for per previous instructions from Chi Chi on how to cook for Goku, Krillin gently explained to his wife his conversation with Goku, and detailed his suggestion.

"I have to say I'm rather surprised you and Chi Chi are still having issues. You seemed well during Christmas," 18 stated.

With a full mouth, Goku replied, "Yea, well, it's not terrible; but things just aren't the same. I can sense that Chi Chi feels the same way."

18 recoiled slightly at Goku's lack of table manners; but gentleman type behavior was never noted as his strong suit anyway.

Krillin was stunned by Goku's laid back feeling at this point. The night before he was panicking to him. Maybe he did a decent job assuaging Goku's concerns. Though the food was probably helping some.

"So Krillin said you should make a point of making this New Year's Eve a special one?" 18 asked.

"Yea," Goku replied, still with his mouth full.

"Well that's a good idea, at least in abstract…coming from a woman's perspective. But the devil's in the details. Did you have any specific thoughts?" 18 asked.

Goku took a big gulp of food to finally speak with clarity.

"I guess I was gonna make some dinner, and then I figured we could go spend some time in the woods. And when the time is right, we'll go up high enough the in the mountains to see fireworks from West City."

18 was actually mildly impressed with Goku's thought.

"But how are YOU going to make dinner?" she asked.

"Well I can't make a regular dinner; but I can still ice fish and cook bison and bore. Maybe lacking some other types of food groups; but still a nice meal," Goku finished.

18 had a small smile on her face. She had a lot of faith in Goku's abilities in general, and he seemed to have a real plan for something in his personal life. She was certain that Chi Chi would be elated.

*Capsule Corp*

Bulma decided it was time. As much as she felt a need to try and protect Chi Chi as much as possible, she only felt so much sympathy for her. She doused a glass of water on Chi Chi's face to wake her up.

Chi Chi groaned upon the water hitting her warm skin.

"Wake yourself up. I'll explain to you what's going to happen. Make yourself presentable, and then we're going to your house," Bulma commanded.

Bulma allotted Chi Chi a glass of water and a cup of coffee. As Chi Chi became more alert, Bulma explained what she was going to do.

"You're going to make me come clean?! I'm not ready. I can't even imagine what's going to happen!" Chi Chi protested.

"You will have knots in your stomach until you confess, and if you don't, the truth will eventually come out."

Chi Chi started shaking out of nerves. Having this plan thrust upon her first thing in the morning was not making it easier.

"Bulma…I can't. Not now."

"Then when, dear? If you don't do it, I will. And in case you forgot Vegeta already knows, and he'll blab faster than I would because he doesn't like you and will protect one of subjects if he must. You have NO choice. Right now, I'm the only thing keeping the cork from blowing and everyone finding out in an uncontrolled manner."

Chi Chi bowed her head down and realized Bulma was right. Having Vegeta of all people be the messenger would be worse than her stating it herself. She took a deep breath and tried to regain her composure.

"Okay," Chi Chi affirmed to her friend.

"Good. Now go fix yourself up and we'll go."

Chi Chi quickly fixed up her hair back in her standard bun. She wiped off smeared make-up from tears. She did not apply any new make-up. Her real self was one without masks, figurative or real. ' _Into battle,'_ she said to herself while in the bathroom. She would face this as a true self. No more games.

Meanwhile, Bulma was about to start the plane when Vegeta quickly stepped in front of her.

"WHAT?!" Bulma exclaimed, already at her wits end in general.

Vegeta's eyes lazily shut as he stared at his princess.

"Whatever plan you have will require Kakarot, yes?"

"Obviously! What's the deal!" Bulma screamed.

"He's not at his home," Vegeta explained.

"Where is he then?"

"With cue ball."

"Krillin? You know he has had hair for years now, right?" Bulma asked.

Vegeta just shrugged, uncaring of his outdated insult toward Krillin.

"So Goku is at Kame House? That's what you're saying?" Bulma asked.

"Correct."

"You could've just said that instead of this back and forth wasting time! Christ!"

"Right, because I initiated the back and forth," Vegeta replied sarcastically. It was another standard interaction between the two.

Bulma ran over to her phone to call Kame House.

18 answered the house phone.

"18? It's Bulma. Is Goku with you guys?"

"…Yes," 18 replied, somewhat confused.

"Okay. He needs to return home now. It's really important. I can't give you details; but tell him it's really important. Oh, and no one is physically hurt or in danger; but it's still really important."

18 looked at Goku while on the phone.

"Goku, I've been told it is imperative you return home right now," 18 stated.

"Really? Why?"

"I have limited details. Talk to Bulma."

"Hello?"

"Goku, go back to Mount Paotz now. I assure you it's very important. But no one is in danger or hurt, okay?"

"Ahhh…okay Bulma. This is pretty weird; but I'll go back there now." 

"Chi Chi and I will be there soon," Bulma stated.

Goku wondered how Bulma would've known he'd be where he was, then the obvious answer of Vegeta presented itself.

' _But if she's with Chi Chi, then Chi Chi obviously knows I'm not home. What's going on?_ ' he thought.

***Mount Paotz***

Goku instant transmission back to Mount Paotz using Goten's power signal. He looked around the house and found that Chi Chi was indeed not there. Goten was still asleep. Everything seemed strange to him.

He sat down and waited.

As Bulma was close to approaching Mount Paotz, she called Gohan and told him to be at his parents' house. He quickly agreed without question. The discussion of Gohan's presence made Chi Chi truly suicidal given his existing knowledge of the matter.

The plane touched down with Bulma and Chi Chi in it. Gohan arrived a few seconds after. The noise from the plane woke Goten. Everybody of absolute consequence was there.

Goku opened the door with wide eyed surprise that Bulma, Chi Chi and Goten were all there.

Goten came downstairs and asked, "What's up?"

"Hi Bulma," Gohan greeted Bulma by hugging her.

Gohan ghosted his mother. Bulma picked up on this and had a sinking feeling about what Gohan already knew.

"Hi everyone," Goku stated with great confusion.

"Hi Goku," Bulma greeted.

"Hey Dad," Gohan greeted.

"Hi sweetheart," Chi Chi greeted with a somber, tear filled tone.

Chi Chi's greeting caught Goku's attention. He was now confused _and_ curious.

As everyone swarmed in, Goku grew tired of his lack of knowledge about whatever was happening. He had been held in suspense for over an hour.

"Okay! Whatever this is about, let's get on with it!" Goku yelled.

"Why don't you sit down Goku," Bulma suggested in a soft tone, trying to maintain some semblance of order.

"Uh, Chi Chi, Gohan, and Goten…you should all sit down too," Bulma noted.

Everyone complied except Chi Chi. She place her hand on the chair for balance as she felt herself growing increasingly woozy.

Without many warning symptoms, Chi Chi suddenly felt her nerves get to her. She took a look at Gohan, who was eyeing her every move with noticeable anger. This provided the tipping point.

She bent over slightly and began to vomit.

 _To be continued._


	15. Eruption

Disclaimer:

I do not own or profit from any Dragonball Z content or characters. The same applies to any popular songs referenced in the story, any publications, movies, or other cultural references. Any original characters not in the Dragonball Z universe are named at random, and not intended to mirror any living or dead individual.

The idea for this story belongs to Charismatic Beauty.

 **Chapter 15: Eruption**

A/N: Kept this one short for the flow of the story. Was going to post with the next chapter at the same time due to the length of this one; but folks seem to want an update.

"Oh dear," Bulma sighed as Chi Chi finished vomiting on the floor.

' _Too much booze,'_ Bulma thought.

Chi Chi went off to clean herself up and brush her teeth quickly. Bulma and Goku quickly worked to clean up the mess.

"What's wrong with her?" Goku asked Bulma.

Bulma gracefully answered, "She must've ate something…"

The explanation was good enough for Goku, who simply continued his task.

Gohan simply rolled his eyes.

Goten had a quizzical look plastered on his face.

Chi Chi came back into the main living area after having a glass of water and helped Goku and Bulma finish cleaning up while apologizing.

"You okay?" Goku asked his wife.

Slow to respond, Chi Chi stated, "…not really," as she returned to the table to sit down.

Chi Chi's response along with the context of so many people being present did not compute for Goku. His frustration from earlier had subsided; but he was now genuinely confused.

As everyone resumed their place, Gohan resumed his death stare of his mother.

Understanding this as a problem, Bulma looked toward Gohan and commanded him.

"Hey, Gohan, why don't you go stare into a corner for the moment?"

"Excuse me?" Gohan replied, dumbstruck and offended by the request.

"Yea, right. Do that. Unless you want me to the pull the grant money Capsule Corp gave you and your staff for your research."

"Okay, okay. Jeez," Gohan had never dealt with Bulma acting so forcefully. He did as he was told.

The extent to which Chi Chi's face eased became noticeable.

"Very good!" Bulma chirped with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

"Now, Chi Chi, I think I'll give you the floor," Bulma stated while nodding in her direction.

Chi Chi stared at Bulma, suggesting that she wasn't ready.

Bulma mischievously stared back at her to suggest 'this is your problem.'

Goku observed the non-verbal interaction with increased angst. He had an increasing feeling that this would not be welcome news.

Chi Chi took a deep breath and finally seemed ready to talk.

She and huffed and continued with tears starting to well in her eyes.

"Uh, Goku. There's something you have to know," Chi Chi paused at this point. She had set the premise but was yet ready to provide the details.

"Well, there's a lot of things I have to know Chi," Goku responded while trying to inject some levity.

"No! This isn't funny Goku," Chi Chi exclaimed.

"Look, I…fairly recently, I…was, um…" Chi Chi stopped again while taking another large breath. She felt like her heart was going to pop out of her chest.

Gohan, still staring at his corner, was growing impatient.

"Will you get on with it!" he shouted.

That Gohan appeared to know what was coming did not go unnoticed by Goku. Considering this and that he could sense Chi Chi's feelings, he fully understand whatever he heard next would be very bad.

" _I was unfaithful to you…"_ Chi Chi finally whispered out.

"I didn't hear that Chi Chi," Bulma chimed.

"I did," Goku somberly countered.

"So did I!" Goten shouted.

Gohan turned around from his corner and faced everyone. "Saiyan hearing," he added.

"Explain," Goku commanded.

Chi Chi now started balling.

"I cheated on you. What more do you want to know?"

"How? To what extent?" Goku continued to press for details.

Chi Chi had difficultly saying anything further at this point.

Gohan jumped in and explained.

"She was courting a guy for a bit and more or else slept with him," he explained.

"What do you mean _more or less_?" Goku asked his oldest son with vitriol in his voice.

"As in I'm not sure it actually happened but it was pretty close," Gohan finished.

"You gotta be fuckin' kidding me!" Goten yelled out.

"Gohan! Why would you keep this a secret from Dad and I?!" Goten yelled at his brother.

Gohan's face grew pensive. He knew why he kept it from them but forming that reason into words was difficult.

"I just…thought you'd both be better off not knowing," Gohan explained.

"So, Mom goes around like a whore and we never know? How's that useful?!"

"It only happened once, Goten. If it was a repeat thing I would've said something."

"What a bullshit excuse. Such a fucking momma's boy! Even protecting her now," Goten yelled as he charged at Gohan who wasn't sure how strong his brother was at this point.

Goku jumped in the way of his youngest son.

"Goten! Knock it off! Your brother did what did what he thought was right. It's not your judgement to say otherwise."

Goten stopped at his father's command, and then turned to his mother with fire in his eyes.

"But even worse is YOU! Madam moralizer. You and Gohan. But you're a fucking HYPOCRITE! You punish me pretty much forever because I fooled around. And then 'Ms. I'm old fashioned and loyal' turns out to be a skank and liar toward her husband of over twenty years and with who she had two children! How dare you punish me that way! You did not have the moral standing to do so!"

Goten's hair started to flash yellow as he turned and charged at Chi Chi.

Again, Goku moved in his way. Except Goten threw a punch this time and Goku had to catch it.

"Goten! Stop it right now!," Goku screamed.

"You defend her?! Even after what you just heard! How stupid are you?!"

Goku smacked Goten down to the ground due to his last comment.

"First, you don't speak to your father that way! Second, you don't attack someone who hasn't physically hurt others-especially your own mother! And regardless of all this, she has still been a great mother to you! This matter is between me and her. It doesn't involve you!," Goku concluded.

"It involved Gohan somehow when he found out," Goten replied.

"I was spying Goten. And I think it's reasonable and quite sensible for this to be between the two of them now that Dad knows."

"Do you actually care about her anymore?" Goten asked Gohan.

"…Not really…lost of a lot of respect for her with this."

"Me too! There's no reason I should care about or her authority as my mother with this kind of betrayal. So why is it okay for you but now for me?" Goten questioned.

"It's not okay for either one of you! Now pipe down and I'll deal with you both later!" Goku yelled.

Goku deeply sighed and turned toward Chi Chi.

"Chi Chi. I'd like you to come with me. Somewhere private so we can talk amongst ourselves."

Feeling vulnerable, Chi Chi asked, "Can Bulma come with us?"

"Ohhh no sister. I'm done here. This is for you two to deal with now," Bulma unequivocally declined the option.

"Chi Chi. I'm not going to hurt you. Even now, I'd hope you realize that. I think it will be easier away from everyone for us to speak with one another."

Chi Chi stared at Goku's eyes with hers full of tears and she finally agreed.

She and Goku flew off into the night sky leaving their sons and Bulma behind. Goku's tears were concealed within his heart.


	16. Up for Adoption

Story is up for adoption.

PM me if you're interested in taking it up.


	17. Chapter 17

The below link is the continuation of the story, by HannaBellLecter. It's a great chapter. The writer does a very good job of incorporating all of the themes and 'flavors' of the story so far.

Thought I'd share if you're interested in following the story with its new caretaker.

Thanks.

s/12604609/1/When-A-Woman-Cheats-Continued-Chapter-17


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